Castiel
by Skiatha
Summary: Where was Castiel before Supernatural began? He saw everything- Earth's creation, Lucifer's fall, Man's doom...but those and much, much more were never shown. This is the untold version of Castiel, from the beginning. This is all of Supernatural through his eyes.
1. Prologue

You know, I've been here for a very long time. And I remember many things. I remember being at a shoreline, watching a little gray fish heave itself up on the beach, and an older brother saying, "Don't step on that fish, Castiel. Big plans for that fish." I remember the Tower of Babel, all 37 feet of it, which I suppose was impressive at the time. And when it fell, they howled "divine wrath". But come on, dried dung can only be stacked so high.

I remember Cain and Abel. David and Goliath. Sodom and Gomorrah. And of course, I remember the most remarkable event - remarkable because it never came to pass. It was averted by two boys, an old drunk, and a fallen angel. The grand story. And we ripped up the ending, and the rules, and destiny, leaving nothing but freedom and choice. Which is all well and good, except... well, what if I've made the wrong choice? How am I supposed to know? But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me tell you my story. Let me tell you everything.

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I guess I should start from the beginning, then.

My name is Castiel, and I am an angel of the Lord. I was created in…well, it was before you humans had come up with a time-keeping system. Long before. The first thing I remember- and I remember everything- on the occasion of my creation was seeing this brilliant, white light. Shortly after, I became aware of the faces of my siblings, all upturned in awe at the luminance. I was one of countless brothers and sisters, and we all bathed in the glow of our beloved Father. He took care of us, and we flocked behind him like sheep. I looked up to Him, as did we all, and joyfully followed his commands with unquestioning loyalty. I never saw His face myself- that was strictly limited to the Archangels- but I was happy. We all were, in our never-ending pocket of paradise, Heaven. It was everything we knew, everything we wanted…

Until things began changing. Heaven was not enough. There were whispers from among the Arches that Father was planning something. Something called "Man".

And somehow, deep inside, I knew that from then on things will never be the same.

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	2. Genesis

**Genesis**

Before I begin, you must first understand that before an angel obtains a suitable human vessel, he or she is, basically, a multidimensional wavelength of celestial intent. But this is in the beginning, before the idea of humans, of Earth, was even conceived. We existed as beings of pure energy; beautiful, powerful, perfect only under our Father. We spoke entirely in Enochian, the language before all languages, unintelligible and even deadly to a typical human.

However, to simplify things, I'll translate our language to the best of my abilities, as well as give my race a more corporeal visage, for you to better understand what I am about to tell you…

It began with darkness. I felt myself, from threads of pure energy, being spontaneously woven together. Given awareness. Given a will. And then, there was voice.

 _He who reigns, always and forever,_

It was in my head; teaching, commanding, bestowing me with unimaginable knowledge...

 _Calls unto you to arise and abide by the Righteous One,_

I knew my duties and my place,

 _And remain with Him until the end._

My charge and my destiny…

 _Because you, celestial being, have been created to be an angel of the Lord..._

But who am I?

I don't know how long I floated in that place of nothingness, with the voice unceasingly programming my very being, but I awoke to find myself bathed in light. I was a bit dazed, at first, lying on something springy and soft, with my face upturned to the sky. Though, it wasn't exactly that. There's no such thing as a "sky" in Heaven, at least not one fixed in place. It was more like a vast, bright space that spread above me, and it seemed to be emanating from a figure that was too far above me to discern. But I knew what- who- that was. It was my Father and Creator, our Lord and our God.

I take my gaze away from the light, looking around me and seeing my own kind, all gazing with equal admiration Him. We were gathered in a field that spread as far as I could see, and there wasn't a single corner where the light didn't touch. We were all silent, at first, awed by our very existence, and by the one who created us, until suddenly there was a thunderous shout of joy from somewhere down the plain. It was caught on by the rest of us, and the roar grew and grew until it rippled across the expanse, thousands of hearts lifted in unison through one cry. I guess that was how the whole concept of angels singing began, if you count a bunch of them yelling as loud as they can as singing.

The chorus of voices dies out almost as soon as it had began, falling into a hushed silence as another voice, then joined by three others, says something from high above. We all look up, trying to see through the light at the four figures as they descend, power emanating from them as each of their eight wings flare out behind them in golden light. One of them, the eldest, speaks with more authority than the other three. His voice could be compared to that of thunder, or a waterfall, or both at once as it washed over us. We all knew who that angel was, and the other three as well, as they land in the middle of the circle cleared by us. We know because the voice, which had inscribed the words into our heads, said so.

He was Michael, the First Archangel, who was at Father's side as they banished the Darkness. The beloved first-born.

Then there was Lucifer, the Fallen One, who would bring all of Father's plans crashing down, causing Him to desert us. The one who would violate the purity of the Garden and doom Man. The one-

I'm getting ahead of myself again. This was Lucifer before he fell, when he was just as good and pure as the rest of us.

Next there was Raphael and Gabriel, the last Archangels to be created. Together, they were the only four ever to have seen God, and be most like Him.

" **Our Father's greetings to you all. Listen well, for these are His words to you,"** intone Michael, Lucifer, Raphael, and Gabriel in unison," **Welcome, my children, to the pastures of the Lord. You, the Heavenly Host, have been chosen to walk beside me as my faithful servants. Perform my Word and do my bidding, and you will be blessed for all of eternity**."

And so began my life as an angel.


	3. Genesis- Part 2

Things went by pretty fast from that point on. Contrary to popular belief, angels don't just stand around all day singing and playing harps. We never do, actually. As part of my job as an angel, I was assigned to reconstruction duty, since the war with the Darkness had left much of Heaven torn apart, and a lot still needed to be completed. So we got to work, oblivious to the passing of time. How long had it passed since I came into being? Days? Years? Hundreds of years? Did it matter? Time in Heaven is a strange thing- the notion of it is very different from that on Earth, since neither night nor day exists here.

While we worked away patching up Heaven, Father stayed up there, planning and creating. What he was preparing, we did not know. Every once in a while Michael, or Lucifer, or another of the Arches would come down to relay a message to one of us, who would then pass it on to the rest of us. In that way, a crude hierarchical structure was formed among our ranks. We were gradually organized into Garrisons, each led by a Seraph. They were really a sight to behold, if you humans could see them in their true forms. Six wings sprouted from their backs, with four faces in the form of a variety of different beasts. When one head talked, all three of them spoke. Sometimes I wondered what would happen if the heads got into an argument with each other.

Anael was the head, well, _heads_ of my Garrison, which consisted of about 50 or so brothers and sisters. I still remember the names of every single one. I would list them all out, but they will be mentioned some way or the other later on. For now, I'll describe Anael the best I can.

Anael, Anna being her human name, was what you could call a bit different from the others. She was from the start, and sometimes a distant look would drift over her features. I think she was bored, if such a word existed then. Bored of Heaven, of the blankness and silence that we angels were so accustomed to. Sometimes she'd pause suddenly, just to look around at us, the shadow of a frown over her features. She never asked too much from us, never rose her voice even if she had four heads that were capable of shattering the ears of a whole stadium full of humans. I grew on her, I think, and she favored me slightly more than the rest. Sometimes, between construction periods, the two of us could be found off to the side. Just sitting and talking. Balthazar, perhaps the most outspoken one in our Garrison, always teased me about it, saying,

"Look at you two, all snuggled up together. I really must congratulate you, Cas."

I never did understand what he was congratulating me on.

After the construction of Heaven was completed, we all wondered what to do next. We'd built up so many cities from the ground, but none of them were inhabited. Angels have no need for a shelter, as we don't sleep or eat, but we didn't question what we were ordered to do. So we just wandered through the empty cities, and waited and looked upwards in hope that Father will soon send one of his Archangels to give us directions. We lived to serve Him. Doing his Word was our food and sustenance. Without it we were nothing.

Finally, the day came, though none of us expected what would happen next. Lucifer appeared in a gust of wind, landing in our midst. Quickly, we all stood, waiting to receive revelations. Instead, Lucifer, who was smiling so brightly that we couldn't help but grin along, declared,

" **Brothers and sisters, I bring warm regards from Father! Rejoice, for He has just announced to us of an upcoming creation- one that He invites you all to come witness. It will be called 'Earth', and it will be a second paradise, a second Heaven.** "

Many of us didn't comprehend this concept. Why have another Heaven on this "Earth", when we already had more than enough space here? We were all silent for a long while, trying to grasp what Lucifer had told us. I glanced at Anael, who was standing beside me. Instead of seeing the confusion that everyone else wore, I saw hope. It was an unexpected thing to see, and it surprised me. Why was she hopeful? I just didn't understand.

Lucifer left after this message, leaving us to ponder about this news by ourselves. Before he ascended, though, his eyes had paused to linger on us. I repeatedly have to tell myself that he was good back then, or my mind will twist the truth - the truth that Lucifer had given us a look of infinite love. It had shone from his eyes and spilled out through his expression, filling us with emotions that we rarely allowed ourselves to feel.

Bliss…

Joy...

Affection…

For years after I would recall that look, and imagine that if Father Himself had smiled down on us, that was what He would look like. It's no wonder why Lucifer was His favorite.

An indefinite amount of time passes, until one moment we hear this sound in our ears. It's hard to explain, but could be comparable to a loud "PING", with its vibrations carrying on for a long time after. I glance around, my siblings all pausing and doing the same, unsure of what was happening. But it was something big. Shortly after, a thunderous rumble shook the ground beneath us and sent shockwaves through the air. It took me a while to realize where it was coming from. It came from Father, high up above where light now swirled, forming and reforming in bursts of brilliant, sizzling power.

The creation of Earth had begun.

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	4. Genesis- Part 3

_Now the Earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters._

 _And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light._

We watched as the brightness swirled and mixed with the darkness. Then like a cell splitting in two, it divided in a flash of celestial energy, creating day and night. Thus passed the first day.

 _And God said, "Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water." So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so._

We watched as the water lifted away from the space, becoming a spherical shape as it swirled beneath an expanse- the "sky". Thus passed the second day.

 _And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so._

We watched as huge structures- mountains and hills, all young and barren- rose out from the retreating waters, marking the land and the sea. And Father saw that it was good. Thus passed the third day.

In the proceeding days and nights, we witnessed the creation of life as they teemed in this new world. Giant reptiles roamed the land, while huge fish kept dominion over the waters. Plant life, too numerous to count, flourished under the newborn Sun, while night unveiled a sky filled with stars. During my time stationed on Earth, I would often look up into the inky blackness, my eyes lost in those multitudes of tiny flickering lights.

And God blessed it all, seeing that it was good.

Of course, at first we didn't understand any of this- angels were simply programmed to think in a way that denied change. To us, I included, such a drastic change took a long time to accept and become accustomed to. We're kind of like a wind-up toy – we can only do one fixed thing, following the set of rules that we were made knowing. Though, since Father loved His new creation, we were to as well. So we did, albeit hesitantly at first.

We were sent down to this Second Heaven in our spiritual forms, observing the life there without interacting with it in any way. Some of us, the braver ones such as Anael, went first, awed at the strange beasts and creatures that roamed freely. Their activities were deeply perplexing to me, such as when all of the sudden they dropped dead, or when they slept or ate or defecated. Especially, I didn't understand why the males of many species enjoyed mating with the females. They even fought each other for the right to do so. Often, just to clear my head of the chaos, I would go wandering through the quieter places on Earth. My favorite destinations were the tops of mountains, where you could see in every direction for miles, with a thick cloud cover swirling past below and the moon and stars above so bright that I almost could touch them. Though, I _have_ gone to the moon once or twice, and it basically is a lump of rock in space, and it felt as such.

On one of my wanderings, countless cycles of the Sun and Moon later, I found myself standing at the shore of an unnamed ocean. Just…waiting. For what, I didn't know, but something had drawn me there. So I stood, the tide singing to me, eerie and strange, while some large flying creatures screeched over the wind above me. A storm was churning far out over the water, and I could make out the occasional flash of lightning through the curtain of rain. As the thunder boomed in the distance, sounding like the voice of one of the Archangels, there was a strange flopping noise, different from the rhythmic sound of the waves. I look down to see this little gray fish, so insignificant and small, struggling as it heaved itself out of the water. I could see that it was exhausted, its mouth opening and closing as it gulped for air, fins sloshing back and forth in an effort to move itself. As I stood there, observing it, there was the sound of wings beside me.

" **Don't step on that fish, brother** ," I turn to see who it is. It's Gabriel, eyes fixed on the creature. He is smiling; he always was, as if life was one big joke and only he knew the answer to it. Quickly, I bow my head in acknowledgment,

"Archangel Gabriel, I-"

" **Oh, cut the formalities. It's Castiel, isn't it?** " His eyes turn to me, and I feel the weight of knowledge and power, so much older and stronger than mine, fall on me. If I had it, you could say that my breath was knocked out of me. I only nod, which was enough for him, because he turns back to studying the little fish. By now, it had fully submerged itself, fins flailing in a rather pathetic motion as it moved in place. Gabriel must have known what I was thinking, saying,

" **Don't think so lowly of it. We have big plans for this fish, Cas, big plans**." We don't speak after that, watching as it arduously drags itself across the wet sand and finally disappearing into the tall, springy plants that border the shoreline. By now, the storm has arrived, the sea roaring as mountainous waves crash along the cliffs to our right, lightning flashing above us in bursts of blinding light. I turn to Gabriel, to ask what he meant when he said "big plans", but he was already gone. I cast one last look at where the land-fish went before leaving as well.

I would soon find the answer to my question.


	5. Exodus

**Exodus**

Evolution. It's such a simple concept, one based on chance and chaos. Void of the presence of an all-powerful being. In most ways, Earth did mature in that fashion.

That is, unless Father didn't choose to step in.

We watched as a millennia passed; then two, then three. The giant reptiles gradually withered away, their bones buried by the earth. In their wake followed small furry creatures that, slowly but surely, proliferated throughout the land. We didn't take particular interest in them. They died even more easily than the dinosaurs did, and most were so tiny that they were barely taken into notice. However, Father did.

We all thought that He was done creating, and that the conception of Earth had taken a far too heavy toll on him. He even had to rest on the last day. God doesn't just get tired. So when the PING was heard again, loud and clear, and the rumbling began anew, we were caught off guard. None of the Arches had visited us for years, leaving dead silence among the angels. Though, there had been whispers of one, final creation. His last great handiwork. We all expected it to be another chunk of rock in space, filled with bizarre creatures, but once again we were caught off guard.

God created **Man**.

He made this strange, hairless creature different from the rest. Otherwise, this new 'Man' would have been nothing more than a naked ape, descended from the same little gray fish that I witnessed many years before. Father gave Man awareness, something that up to that point only we angels possessed. For some reason that I still don't understand today, He left out some of that awareness. The ability to tell right from wrong. Later, when I had a chance to closer observe man, I also saw that they lacked a Grace. They were mortal, just like the rest of the creatures that dwelled on Earth.

Next, Father planted a Garden in the east, which grew up from the ground into a great forest of trees in a matter of days. It was truly magnificent, with each and every plant bearing some kind of fruit, bright and ripe and pleasing to the eyes.

And He called it Eden.

The largest of the trees surrounded the oasis, forming a natural shield from the desert beyond. In the middle of the garden sat two trees in their prime, glowing with energy. The first one, the Tree of Knowledge, held the power to open Man's eyes and give them full awareness. To be like us. The second one, the Tree of Life, was filled with enough Grace to elevate any being nearly to the ranks of an Archangel. The fruits of both trees glistened with dew, each containing a fraction of the trees' power. Finally, He placed four rivers to let flow their waters throughout the Garden, sustaining life.

We all watched with a hint of restrained jealousy as these preparations were made for this new race, this…hairless ape. But I didn't know then. I didn't realize what man was capable of doing. Of feeling. Of creating with their bare hands like gods.

The first man was named Adam, and the first woman Eve. Father made many more humans, but they were never mentioned in history. They spent their days in utter bliss, tending to the Garden of their Father with childish glee. It disgusted many angels, and I have to admit that I was a bit disturbed as well. After all, _we_ were his cherished children, his most beloved creations. We were perfect, powerful, immortal, while humans were anything but. So when Father called down to us one day, asking us to bow down to them, there was nothing short of an outrage. He called them his greatest creations, commanding us to show more love to them then to Him.

As soon as those words were uttered, I knew that everything was going to be different. No longer were we, celestial beings, angels of the Lord, regarded as favorable in His eyes. But I bit back my remorse.

I lowered myself to my knees…

Because I knew my duties and my place,

I put myself below the humans…

My new charge and my destiny.

I was a good soldier…

Was I? Or was I too cowardly, too weak to say otherwise like Lucifer did?

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	6. Exodus- Part 2

We all knew that there was trouble from above. We heard it from the constant rumbling, like a brewing storm, shortly after we all bowed before Man. The voices of the Archangels thundered and roared as they quarreled before Father, and all we could do was listen on.

" **Father** ," spoke Lucifer, voice gentle, " **I love You more than anything in creation. I will serve You to the end of time, but I…I cannot bow to these humans**."

" **You will do as Father commands** ," Michael said, voice strained, as he had already repeated this many times.

" **But Man is tainted and flawed. Mortal. I can see evil in all their hearts, dormant as it is** ," replied Lucifer, in his silver-tongued way.

" **And you do not think that I can see it in you**?" resonated Father, and there was a shocked murmur among the angels below.

" **My devotion to you overcomes all** ," says Lucifer, unwaveringly, but we could all tell how much Father's words stung him.

" **Then prove your devotion to me, Morning Star, and vow to serve Man as you served Me** ," We all knew that from His tone, He was done with this discussion. Lucifer knew as well, but whether it was from his own pride, or his hatred of Man, or a reason far darker that he turned to Michael, pleading,

" **Will you stand with me, brother**?" There was no reply. He turned to Gabriel, then Raphael, then to all of us gathered below, " **Who will stand with me? Who refuses to lower themselves and become as worthless as the dirt under Man's feet? Who loves Father more than they love these hairless apes**?"

As soon as Lucifer uttered the last word there was a great BOOM, energy crackling forth across the bright expanse above us. We shrank away, for never had we seen such anger or conflict among the angels. For a second, I thought that the whole sky had fallen down on us. But it was Lucifer, eight wings spread out behind him, light pouring from him as he hit the ground in our midst. We scattered, but didn't go far as we watched him get back to his feet, with such a look of grief in his eyes that I was stopped in my tracks. He was suddenly struck down again as Michael landed upon him, full of righteous fury.

" **Stand down, Lucifer** ," he said, towering over us all, " **Father still loves you. Don't believe that because He created Man, He'll forget you.** "

" **He already has. I know Him better than you. I can never know or love Man as much as He**!" cried Lucifer, not making a move to rise, but looking Michael in the eye as he says, " **I will not stand down. I'm sorry, Michael**."

I'm not sure who made the first move. Everything happened so fast. The next moment, Heaven was tossed into chaos. Both Lucifer and Michael had drawn their swords and were clashing, the sound of their blades reverberating through the air. Many of us fled. Some stayed behind to fight or try to stop the fight. Others were too afraid to move. I looked up at Father, hoping for some hint of what to do, but He had turned His back.

This wouldn't be the first time, or the last, that He would abandon us.

The battle went on for a very long time. I…I'm not sure how long it lasted, as I had fled to Earth with some of the others to avoid this war. Without guidance from Father or any of the Archangels- Gabriel had disappeared, and Raphael had sided with Michael- we were wandering sheep. But down on Earth, it was relatively quiet. I found some members from my Garrison- Balthazar, Inias, Amrael, Raguel, and Uriel. Together we watched Heaven as it was slowly torn apart, the cities we spent centuries building blown to dust. Angels that at first had tried to stop the fighting had now sided with either Michael or Lucifer. Many died, their piercing cries of agony heard by every single one of us. Meanwhile, the humans were still cocooned in their paradise, unaware of the war fought because of them. For them. _Because_ of them. A powerful warding spell had been placed around the Garden by Father, denying all angels entrance.

"Another sign of His distrust towards us," Uriel, the one with second thoughts about fleeing Heaven, had muttered, though he was quickly hushed by the others.

The tide of the war, from the beginning, was in Michael's favor. Two archangels, seasoned with fighting experience against the Darkness, could easily defeat a whole legion of angels and Seraphim. But Lucifer was crafty. He found two of his most trusted angels, ones who had sided with him since the beginning, and gave them great power and knowledge.

One was an angel named Lilith. The other was a Seraph, Abaddon. If I had known what crimes against creation those two would commit, perhaps I would have done something…But it's in the past now. Nothing I did would have changed that.

With those two by his side, Lucifer seemed to be gaining the upper hand. It was the final battle, the final clash. Raphael had been injured when Lilith and Abaddon ambushed him, leaving Michael and Lucifer circling each other, alone on the battlefield.

" **Please, big brother, you don't have to do this**!" said Lucifer, his tone still filled with sadness and pity. As if none of this mess was his fault.

" **You disobeyed Father. I tried to warn you, Lucifer. I have no choice** ," replied Michael's voice, solemn and tired.

" **We were created having a choice. Why did Father give us this ability, if not to mock us with it**?"

" **Father has His reasons. Don't question them** -"

" **I've tried doing that. I've tried to keep my mouth shut for so long and be a good little son. You think that this is the best you'll get, but I can give you so much more. I can give you** ** _freedom,_** **Michael. We can still walk from here, side by side, and together we can be our own** ** _gods_** **…** "

" **HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT!** " Michael roared. We could see thunderclouds gathering above us, dark and churning. This was it. This was the last battle, and we would all be destroyed…

It was then that Father chose to intervene.

There was a flash of blinding light from above the clouds. As we saw the shape fall, glowing like a dying star, we heard Father's voice boom like thunder,

" **Lucifer. You dared to wage war against your Lord, so filled with hatred were you for My creation. The gates of Heaven have been sealed from you. I now declare you banished from Heaven**."

There was one, final CRASH that shook the earth as Lucifer, the Morning Star, was cast out by Father's hand. Then there was silence.

As if it were some kind of act of mercy, before he fell Lucifer was able to take Lilith and Abaddon's Graces, dooming them to the life of a mortal human. Father would not dare hurt or kill a human then, as they were blameless and pure, so He allowed them to live out their lives on Earth without any recollection of their angelic backgrounds. It was a terrible mistake - one Lucifer would take full advantage of.


	7. Exodus- Part 3

We were called back to Heaven after Lucifer's fall, assembling into our old Garrisons. Only one angel had died from mine, so we were luckier than most. The war had taken entire Garrisons, and many more had been tossed from Heaven along with Lucifer.

Michael and Raphael, upon Father's instructions, wasted no time to seek out a guard for the Garden, now that Lucifer stalked about, and begin reconstruction of Heaven. An angel named Gadreel was chosen as Eden's sentry. It was the first time I saw him- beaming with joy from the position God Himself had given him. Gadreel had been one of Michael's trusted soldiers during the war, so it was reasonable enough that he received such a reward. If only he - if only any of us - knew what was to become of him... That moment, Gadreel's fate had been sealed as tight as the prison cell that would soon contain him.

The majority of us were assigned to rebuild what had been destroyed and to tend to our injured brethren. Other angels were sent out to keep watch over the fallen angels that had scattered far and wide across the earth. Balthazar and Samandriel were among those in my Garrison who were sent, and they often brought me information when they could. From them I learned that Lilith not only lost her Grace, but also lost something else very important. She now had the mind of a small child, and wandered for years in a trance before stumbling upon and entering Eden. Also there was the story of Abaddon, who day and night roamed the desert with the mind of a wild animal, filled a hunger so profound that nothing could satiate her. Those were God's punishments for them.

Meanwhile, there was still no news of Lucifer's whereabouts. When he fell to earth it seemed as if he had sunk into the ground. Vanished without a trace. Archangels are very strong - if they choose to disappear, like Gabriel did, no other angel can find them. So I watched and waited, a growing sense of dread slowly creeping through me. I didn't believe that this was over. Deep down, I don't think any of us did.

Lucifer's war was only just beginning.

But, when the day came that he made his move, we were all caught by surprise. He was outside the Garden- no, now he was _in_ the Garden- no, now he was in the Garden, _tempting Eve to eat the forbidden fruit_. How had he gotten past brave, loyal Gadreel? How had he gotten past the warding? There was great confusion in Heaven. Michael and Raphael rushed down to face Lucifer before the armies of Heaven had even fully organized…But Father's warding spell proved to be its own downfall. The two Archangels couldn't get in. By that time, it was too late. Eve had bitten into the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, bringing Man's doom upon Eden.

We felt like a cat, watching a fishbowl. We could do nothing but watch on. From what I gathered, in bits and pieces, this is how Lucifer accomplished it. This was how he got into the Garden of Eden and corrupted mankind.

After being banished from God's presence, Lucifer knew that he had lost this battle. But he didn't give up. There's never rest for the wicked. Masking himself from the eyes of all, Lucifer hid and schemed and waited. Then, the first thing he did was visit Lilith, who was sharing in the child-like bliss of Eden as Adam's wife, in her dreams. He took her already shattered mind and reformed it into something truly twisted beyond recognition.

He turned her into the first Demon.

None of the humans, not even Adam himself, sensed anything amiss. Lilith, through her sweet, innocent smile, completely cloaked the evil that was eating her from the inside out. When Lucifer fully gained hold of her soul, he then went on to Abbadon. She was, basically, already a demon, so wild and vicious was she. All Lucifer really had to do was uncover her eyes and breathe a few words of foul corruption into her ear, and she was his.

With those accomplished, Lucifer transformed himself into a serpent. For all intents and purposes, he looked and acted like a common snake. The dark depths of his eyes only occasionally gave away the malice hidden within them. He slithered his way to Eden, passing right through the angel warding and Gadreel's watchful eyes, and waited until Eve was alone. Eve was a perfect prey- though she was the first woman and Adam's first wife, she was never the most loved. Since Lilith entered Eden, Eve had been shunned. The isolation grew all the more when Lilith was corrupted into a demon, and given instructions to cast Eve as far as possible from the rest of mankind.

One day, Lucifer found his chance. As Eve was walking alone through the Garden, he slyly hissed to her from the branch of a nearby tree,

" ** _Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'_**?"

The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'"

" ** _You will not certainly die_** ," the serpent said to the woman, " ** _For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil_**."

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.

And when Eve ate, her eyes were indeed opened. She ran to Adam, who also partook in the terrible sin. They all ate, every single human, and their eyes were likewise opened.

Meanwhile, Lilith stood quietly to the side, smiling gently, with a serpent by her side.

* * *

When Father found out that Michael and Raphael couldn't stop Lucifer, He Himself went down to Earth to end Lucifer once and for all. He passed through the Garden, seeing that his beloved humans had crudely clothed themselves because of their newfound shame of nudity. It devastated Him to see his creations so… _like_ Him.

 **"** **Man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever."**

Thus, Man was cast out from the Garden. Gadreel was charged and sentenced with the highest form of punishment, and all of the Holy Host was assembled to watch as his trial was carried out. His name was erased from our minds and from the face of history. Meanwhile, Lucifer, that coward, had fled with Lilith. But they didn't get far when Michael caught up to them, backed by the hand of God, and hurled them into the deepest pit that Father could make. Lucifer's Cage. It seemed truly impregnable, shut tight with 600 powerful seals.

If the story ended here, and Lucifer was trapped in his cage for good, then I probably wouldn't be here telling you all of this.

But of course, there's no such thing as a happily ever after.

However, there are such things as prophecies, and one in particular: the prophecy that Lucifer will escape and bring about the end of the Earth. The Apocalypse.


	8. Testaments

**Testaments**

As you can tell, in the first two chapters of my life- a billion or so years- I didn't particularly…impact the course of history. None of us really did, and that's just the thing with angels. In Heaven, heroes aren't made- they're born. Unless you count the fact that all angels _were_ made…But I'm speaking figuratively here. In other words, we were programmed to follow, to be obedient soldiers while the Seraphs were given slightly more freedom to command their Garrisons under the eyes of the Archangels.

Humans, on the other hand, were a different story. No one knew who was to lead them in this hostile new world. It was utter chaos the moment they were turned out of Eden and into the barren landscape beyond. The humans were brutal to each other, driven by instinctive urges such as hunger as they fought for what food they could find. It stunned me, seeing what the forbidden fruit had done to them. It had given them far too much knowledge, and they were paying the price.

All the while, Father grew more and more reclusive.

Eventually, tribes were formed and scattered throughout the land. Man coaxed what crops they could from the ground, and hunted what game there was. Meanwhile, abominations such as the monstrous creations of Eve, and the Nephilim, the spawn of humans and angels, corrupted the once-pure sanctity of Earth. Also, though Lucifer was locked away deep in the pit, demons continued to spread like a disease. Through all this, many had forgotten about God, turning to the worship of countless man-eating pagan gods for favors. But there were those who still had faith.

Such was the story of Cain and Abel, the two brothers, sons of Adam and Eve. And I saw it all.

My Garrison was assigned to be stationed on Earth to watch the affairs of Man for a few thousand years. Frankly, it became pretty monotonous after a while. Humans really only have a certain number of things they do or like to do, which follows the daily routine of sleeping, working, eating, defecating, a lot of copulating, and even more fighting. It greatly confused all of us, and Anael would often discuss these strange human activities with me. We spent much time wondering about things such as,

"Why do they eat if it just comes back out again?"

"Is something wrong with that one? There's water leaking from his eyes."

"Do they find it pleasing to show each other their teeth?"

"Why do they stick their mouths together like that? Are they trying to _eat_ one another?"

Humans also had practical activities too, of course, such as the inventing the wheel to aid them in transporting their loads, domesticating animals for food, and also the discovery of fire by a man named Prometheus. All these were seen by me, until one day, by chance I came upon the two brothers. They were unremarkable, to say the least, living a few miles away from the nearest tribe and keeping to themselves. But they were direct descendants- perhaps even the first descendants, if you don't include Eve's monstrosities- of the first man and woman, and they were deeply devout.

Cain was the elder brother, and Abel was the younger. From a glance I saw the potential within in them. They were strong; yes, strong enough to be powerful vessels. The concept of a vessel was new to all of us. Only a few brothers and sisters had already found theirs, while the true vessels of all the rest of us had not yet been born. Those with vessels would often come and tell us about the experiences, but I didn't see how interesting it was to confine myself into someone else's skin. And then there were always those awkward questions when someone recognizes your vessel.

So I stood there, cloaked in my spiritual visage, watching as Abel tended to the flock and as Cain harvested the crops in the noonday sun. It was a rather mundane scene, and I was just about to leave when I caught sight of Cain as he fell to his knees. His basket tumbled to the ground and he seemed to be having some kind of fit, hands over his ears as he listened to something only he could hear. But I knew what it was.

An angel was speaking to him.

We were forbidden to make any contact with humans without an Archangel's permission, as our voice could kill the recipient of the message if they were not one of the chosen. I came closer, listening to the man as he spoke to the air through clenched teeth,

"No, no, you _can't_. Don't! Don't take him, please…..I'll do it, just don't…Yes…Yes…If you swear…Okay," The convulsions abruptly stopped, and Cain drew out a long breath as he lay on the ground. Water flowed from his eyes – tears, which I was just beginning to understand was a result of sorrow. I knew that I had to go report this to Anael. Right away. Some angel had spoken to him, and I felt a sense of dread as it dawned on me who it might have been. But something kept me from leaving, and I could only watch on with a horrified fascination as the man mechanically dug up an old jawbone from the dirt and walked to where his brother was.

Then he beat Abel to death.

He didn't stop when Abel was dead, either. He just…kept on going, pounding that jawbone into the corpse over and over again. I backed away, the act forever seared into my mind and utter revulsion swirling inside me.

Suddenly, Cain paused, hand clutching the bloody bone as he rose his head to look directly at me.

His eyes were pitch black, and inside them I saw Lucifer, smiling triumphantly.

* * *

 **Please review!** I love them very much and they really encourage me to keep writing this~ Thanks to all who have so far!

Also, if you'd like to suggest an angel to be mentioned please PM me with their names and a short description and I will consider them. :


	9. Testaments- Part 2

When I arrived back in Heaven, I told them everything I had seen. Cain, after the fratricide of Abel, had vanished the moment we made eye contact. I can never erase the image of Cain's eyes- demon's eyes- from my head, even after the numerous mind wipes that Naomi inflicted on me. It was one out of many things that I can still recall, as clear as I had seen it.

The news spread quickly to the Arches, who turned to Father for guidance. But there was no reply. It shocked them, really, and gave them a taste of what was to come. So they didn't inform us of Father's silence, and instead directly ordered us on their own judgment. We were sent to look for Cain, and we scoured the Earth for months, to little avail. I was also sent along to question Abel, whose soul now rested in the eternal bliss of his own making. Since we rebuilt Heaven from the dust, it was accommodated to fit the souls of humans that soon flooded in, each one glowing with raw power. Only one soul would be enough to destroy half of the tiny planet that the humans called Earth. It was basically a condensed atomic bomb.

It took a while to find Abel through the maze-like passages that we angels weaved between the realms of souls. When we did, it took even longer to get him to speak. He finally did, and he admitted the one thing that we all feared: Lucifer was still active. He had told Abel many dark things; things that nearly brought him over the edge. It also became painfully obvious to us that Abel didn't have the slightest clue of Lucifer's intent to turn him into his pet. He wanted to know why Cain had killed him, but we didn't have time to sit down and explain. We left before he finished his sentence, hurrying in a thunder of wings back to the Archangels.

Raphael wanted to lay siege to the still-young Hell and double the reinforcements around Lucifer's cage. Michael wanted to seek Father's guidance first, but finally decided to try an attack on Hell. The reinforcements would be trickier, since the location of Lucifer's cage was unknown even to Michael.

And so we fought, and beat upon the weak spots of Hell until we came through. Many angels were killed, but many more demons died. It was during these battles that my Garrison grew tighter, and Balthazar and Bartholomew particularly, demonstrated themselves as worthy soldiers.

But we still could not find Cain, even after we searched every dark corner, every filthy dungeon and pit. In that aspect, we didn't win the war. But we beat down Hell until there was nearly nothing left of it, enough so that it would stay down for a long time. When we emerged from the Pit, bloody and broken, Earth was in ruin. Sin and immorality ran amok in appalling numbers, and most of the humans had turned to pagan worship. None of us could decide what to do.

But God could. He gave us no warning, unleashing Death onto Earth to bring divine judgment down on mankind. The floodgates of Heaven were opened with a great, grinding roar, and rain gushed forth from the clouds in a thundering torrent.

The Earth was flooded for one hundred and fifty days. I could only watch on with my Garrison, hovering over the waves that reached as high as the mountains. Once, in the distance, I made out the shape of what I thought looked like the peak of a mountain. When I came closer, though, it turned out to be a ship. It was bigger than any boat I'd ever seen, or will see through the history of Earth. Its hull groaned from the weight of countless tons of cargo, and when I looked in I beheld every single species of animal created by God. So this was His plan- save all but one human family and a pair of each species to repopulate the Earth. I didn't see the point in this; why destroy Earth, and then put Man back to destroy it again?

When the waters finally receded, and Noah came out of the ark, Man was pure for a short period of time.

But as I predicted, it was not long before humans, once again, became full of sin. They naturally gravitate towards it like moths to a flame, no matter how hard they try to pull away.

Back then, the tallest thing made by man was a one-story hut of dried clay and dung. And so, to get "closer to the gods", the Tower of Babel was built to reach to the sky. It measured an impressive 37 feet, but unfortunately they still had some 31 miles to go before they even could touch the stratosphere.

Father wasn't happy about this puny act of defiance, and He was becoming slightly more active after the Flood purged most of the sin off the face of the Earth. He ignored Michael and Raphael almost completely, taking matters into His own hands. Well, more like his little finger. With a flick, the Tower of Babel came crashing down, scaring the humans out of their wits. They returned again to God for pardon, but then angered Father again after a short period of time. It became a sort of game- if humans were good, Father was content. If they were bad, Father punished.

Now here comes one of most obscure parts of my memory. I have nearly no recollection of the events associated with Moses and the Ten Plagues, but I will try my best to put together what I learned from Naomi and the others.

God's favored people, the Israelites, were to be freed from bondage under the Egyptians. I agreed with this decision, as every day I saw and heard the anguished prayers they sent up to us. But what I didn't know was _how_ Father planned to go through with this. You could imagine my horror when He began to bring about plague after plague upon the Egyptians, channeling His power through a simple little staff that he gave to a man named Moses. After the 9th plague, we were all tired of the punishments. I began to question if the Israelites really were going to be freed, or if they were to be stuck for all eternity watching as Egyptians around them dropped dead from locusts bursting from their heads.

Finally, God called all angels to assemble before him in preparation for the final plague. Exactly what He told us, I have forgotten. But I do know from Naomi that I did not agree at all with His plan. According to Naomi, I even had to be restrained and forced to comply with the orders.

The orders to kill every firstborn child in Egypt.

I also do not remember how many innocent lives I took that night, nor the feeling of an infant's soul as it was wrenched from its body. Perhaps that is for the best. If I could dream, that would have been one of the many nightmares that would terrorize me.

It would not be the last time, either, that there would be a blank space in my memories.

* * *

Note: I was doing great with this chapter and nearly finished it yesterday when I found…A Chronology of Supernatural. So of course my OCD side would go absolutely nuts and retype more than half the chapter in an attempt to make everything chronologically accurate. xD *cries* My hands are dying…

 **Reviews/faves always appreciated! (AKA give me some motivation** **to kill my hands typing the next chapter)**


	10. Testaments- Part 3

We returned to where we had left off after what we did in Egypt, as if nothing had happened. I can only remember becoming…aware again, as if I just awoken, and looking around me and down at the cities of Egypt with confusion. At that moment a great, keening wail was heard from all corners of the land, crying out in indescribable grief, and I remember that I didn't understand why they were grieving.

We were all told that Father Himself had gone down to smite the firstborns of Egypt. From what I heard throughout history, this had been what the humans believed as well.

A lie.

Centuries passed without much happening down on Earth. Father soon turned His judgment to the two great cities of the plain: Sodom and Gomorra. I had visited the cities once or twice before, when they were young, but I didn't know how tainted they had become until the day we watched it get devoured in fire and brimstone.

Azrael and Rahab, both powerful Seraphs who had already found vessels, were commanded to go warn the only family worthy of being saved from utter destruction. When they were safely out of the way, the two angels rained fire down on the cities, destroying them in a matter of minutes. To make sure none survived and following their orders, they also dropped in another deadly weapon: the Salt Crystal. Imbued with angelic energy, it could turn a human into a pillar of salt with a single glance. I witnessed its power firsthand as I watched the fleeing family. Lot's wife cast a look back at the burning city, even though she had been forewarned by the angels we sent, and was almost instantaneously crystallized. No one else paused or even stopped for her.

Aside from the wife, I thought Lot was a rather weak man, in human standards. I mean, he even _offered_ his daughters to be violated by the city's (few hundred) men gathered at his doorstep. He probably would have gone through with it, too, if Azrael had not grabbed him and pulled him back into the house. But spiritually, he was one of the most devout humans of his time. That outweighed everything.

More time passed as my Garrison watched the Earth. We were sent on errands, such as to give a prophet a message, or guard over the Israelites, or smite some demons that were causing too much trouble. I saw Samson's strength, I saw Solomon in the height of his glory, I saw all the wars fought in the name of God. I saw a boy named David defeat the giant Goliath, a true feat of courage; but little did I know that soon _I_ would be the little boy. The one who overthrew Destiny.

We were content to be occupied with these small tasks. But again, God slowly but surely began to withdraw from our affairs, though it was barely detected by any of us. Perhaps He was just tired. I never got to ask Him why He left us, or if I did, I never got a reply.

None of us really knew that Father left when He did. Most of us, including me, were just blindly faithful. How foolish we were, thinking that for all those thousands of years God was still up there. The archangels, though grieved by His absence, quickly took matters entirely into their own hands and played God, but I think we all sensed that something was missing. The first thing the Arches did was ban all interaction with humans, including taking one as a vessel. We were to be silent, completely non-existent on the physical plane. We were only to watch.

Eventually, after living for so many countless centuries, things in history began to blur. The wars came and passed. Cities sprouted up and were decimated. Humans were born and withered away. I'm not sure if it's just my memory, or whether it was Naomi's doing, that I can't clearly recall everything in this time period. But it doesn't matter. It all kind of moved along until there came a single moment of clarity, something that at once gave me a new and fulfilling purpose.

The birth of my vessel.

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 **Are you HYPED for the next chapter, because I am! You all know who I'm talkin' about here... eue**


	11. Resurgence

**Resurgence**

Jimmy Novak. Born July 10, 1973 in Pontiac, Illinois. He came from a deeply devout line of Christians, all with the ability to contain the power of an angel in their blood. At his birth there was a sound in my head, but unlike the loud PING that notified us that Father was at work, I heard a light ringing, like that of a small bell. Immediately, I went to the source of the sound and found myself at a hospital, in a room with humans clustered around a bed. There, I saw my true vessel for the first time.

He was a normal infant in every way. Nothing was outwardly special about him; he was rather loud and constantly hungry. Even so, I stayed with him and his family for a while, watching over them. On many occasions I became frustrated when the parents didn't understand what the baby was trying to tell them. Baby language can be quite hard to decipher. Often, when Jimmy cried and the parents were elsewhere I would just tend to him myself. With a touch to his forehead he would be healed of his ailment, and he would fall into a deep sleep.

Whenever I had the time away from my Garrison I would visit him. Throughout his childhood and teen years I made sure that he was not aware of my presence. Not fully. But I still heard him sometimes at night, eyes closed deep in prayer as he murmured the words, " _Dear guardian angels, please keep me safe and watch over me tonight_."

And I did.

When Jimmy was 4 years old, I knocked a cup of detergent from his hands as he mistook it for juice and was about to drink it.

When Jimmy was 8, I scared away some boys who were harassing him by appearing before them, flaring out my wings and causing them to flee in terror. Jimmy never got to ask them why they ran, because they stayed away from him from then on.

When Jimmy was 12, he wandered away alone during a family vacation and fell into the lake, nearly drowning before I came in time to pull his unconscious body out of the water.

And another time Jimmy, 16 years old, was walking home from school when a car came careening down the road at him. In a flash, I was there and shielded him, deflecting the car so that it spun away and hit a street sign instead. I glanced down. Jimmy was staring upwards with wide blue eyes, unharmed, and I almost thought that he could see me…but then he shakily stood up and passed through my form without another glance.

After that incident, which his parents had called a miracle, Jimmy grew even more devout. I found pictures and bible verses of angels that he drew pinned on his wall. The devotion of humans never ceases to amaze me. I began to watch over him even more, gradually opening his eyes to the ways of the Lord. At the same time, he opened my eyes as well.

As I saw Jimmy grow up, I think it was then that I truly began to understand humans and their capacities for love, regret, grief…All these emotions had evaded me until I saw the world through his life. Once, Uriel drew me aside,

"Why do you hang around that human all the time?"

"Because he is my vessel and I must see to it that he is not harmed."

"Yes, I understand that. But what is the _real_ reason?"

I was caught off guard by this question.

"You…you can't be implying that I have a _relationship_ with the human-"

"That is exactly what I imply, Castiel. You should not allow yourself to roll about in their fleeting concerns. Serving Heaven comes first; you should know that."

I might have rebuked Uriel then, as he was of a lower rank than me, but I held my tongue. He was right; I was spending too much time with the human. Anael, also, was seen less and less around this time, watching over the humans alone, and I had a feeling that Uriel would have given her the same speech he gave to me if she was not his superior and a Seraph. The times Anael did come back, she spoke few words to us and had a brooding look on her. We were all worried, especially me. One day, I found her at a park and tried to confront to her about it, only managing to get:

"Castiel…I'm tired. I don't know what to do."

"Have faith, Anael, Father knows-"

" _Father knows?!_ I'm sick of waiting on orders from some all-mighty being whom we, even the Arches, haven't even heard from for over two thousand years. I'm sick of sitting down here and just… _watching_ ," she motioned to the humans around us, happily unaware of our existence," I want to do something. I want to _be_ something. I…I want to go home."

The last words she uttered came out as a whisper, like a feather softly falling. I cast a look at Anael, shocked at her outburst, about to tell her that such thoughts were blasphemy, but my eyes only met sadness so deep that I could only stare. Sadness was a human feeling. It was a dangerous feeling. Angels feel grief, yes; grief over a fallen brother, or a battle lost. But they always move on. As I looked into Anael's eyes, in a way I understood her. The entire Garrison had not set foot into Heaven for almost two thousand years. We could hear its call within us, like a beacon, at all times, pulling us to it. Our obedience was the only thing keeping us from going back.

From going home.

She left me after a few moments of stunned silence. I didn't see her or hear of her until the day she Fell, two weeks after she talked to me. It was only then that I realized that there was something else I had seen in Anael's gaze. It was a spark of determination, but I didn't understand the reason for it until I heard a voice in my head over angel radio, clear and condemning.

 _Anael has Fallen._

* * *

 **Ahhhg the whole time I wrote about Jimmy and Cas I wanted really badly to add fluff. But (very, very unfortunately) Cas no understand any fluff. At all.**

 **I really appreciate the awesome reviews and encouragement so far! Please keep them coming!**


	12. Resurgence- Part 2

My entire Garrison was thoroughly questioned, especially me, because I was so close to her. But no one knew where Anael was, since as a fallen angel she would be reborn and virtually unrecognizable from any other human. All of the archangels were deeply suspicious of us, still, and until now it didn't occur to me that it must have been because something big was happening down below.

There were only rumors of this, of course, that a demon by the name of Azazel had found the door to Lucifer's Cage, and was on the move to fulfill his master's plans. We didn't know what Lucifer was plotting, or where he intended to strike. Many of us wanted to hunt down and interrogate some demons for information, as their numbers had been steadily increasing over the last decade. Preparing for war. I agreed with this suggestion, but our voices were drowned out by the Arches' command: We were to stay silent, and only watch and listen and report everything back to them. I held my tongue and didn't dispute their decision, being the good soldier I was. Thinking back to it now, I realized that so many disasters could have been averted, so many lives saved from needless slaughter, if we had made ourselves known on Earth then.

I succeeded Anael as the head of our Garrison, with Uriel as second in command. I would have preferred Balthazar, or perhaps Ezekiel instead, but it was not my place to decide. Years passed, and we could only watch on as demons ran loose and the existence of angels slowly turned into a myth among humans.

During this time, Azazel operated in complete secrecy. He burned what evidence there was of his work, leaving behind the crumbled ashes of a house for us to find. It was always a house, always a mother that he took. I couldn't find the link between them. Why would he kill the mother and leave the rest of the family unharmed? What was it that he was looking for- and found?

Fate always seemed to toss me in the way of things, often by chance. Nevertheless, I was still caught by surprise when I found Azazel one day, completely on accident. He was in a neighborhood park, just…watching, his attention completely focused on a group of pregnant mothers off to the side. It made me sick, seeing this filth walking about without restraint, like a wolf among sheep, while we angels could do nothing about it. I thought he couldn't sense me behind him, but he still did. Azazel's head suddenly tilted, and a smile spread from the corner of his mouth.

"Come on out now, little birdy. Let's have a nice little chat here, you and me."

I didn't reply.

"Oh, what's wrong? …Ah, you're not allowed to, is that it? Archangel got your tongue?"

I held my silence.

"Well, then, allow me to let you in on a little secret…" When I didn't leave, the smile spread even wider across his hideous face, "Your bosses from up high, the ones you put so much faith in, don't _want_ you to stop us. It's all gonna be part of the big picture here; you'll see soon enough. So go fly on along, and as a tip I would advise you not to tell anyone of this."

Obviously, I knew the rule: Never take advice from a demon. No good would ever come from it. But I also knew, and had broken the rule even before that: Never listen to a demon. I had convinced myself that the information could be used against him, but it was a lie. Azazel was too smart for that. If I told the Archangels, they would no doubt suspect me of siding with Lucifer, and interrogate me or even worse. So I could do nothing else but take his advice and leave.

Little did I know, that was when the first seed of doubt had been planted within me.

Some time afterwards, word also began spreading of a very special family that Azazel had turned his attention to, whose name would forever change the course of fate.

 _Winchester_.

Approximately 35 years later in Calvary Cemetery, Wyoming, two of them were there at the opening of a Hell Gate. I didn't witness what took place, but I felt it- we all felt it. There was a sort of shudder that passed through all of us; a deep, creeping dread that made us aware that something truly evil had crawled out from the Pit. From what I heard, the sky had turned black for miles in every direction, a writhing cloud of abominations. For days and weeks after, there were mass murders and atrocities of every kind. Other than demons and malicious spirits, the Seven Deadly Sins had been unleashed into the world as well. They wrecked havoc on the human population, until they were all said to have been taken down by the Winchesters in a single blow. It was a deed to be respected for, and I never had the chance to ask Dean how they had done it.

But something even worse than the Seven had escaped, straight from the deepest part of Hell. Something so twisted that they were nearly unrecognizable from millennia ago, when they had rebelled against God by Lucifer's side.

Lilith was free once again.

And still, the archangels told us to hold back, yet their orders were less confident this time. They knew we were restless, and that they would not be able to hold thousands of angels back in a full-scale rebellion.

So when the Seals began breaking under Lilith's command and our impatience to do _something_ finally began to boil over the top, we were once again allowed to take possession of vessels, free to walk among humans for the first time in over two thousand years.

I was assigned apart from my Garrison to a group of angels tasked to lay siege to Hell and raise a single man from perdition; a man who would soon teach me how to write my own story and show me the meaning of free will.

His name was Dean Winchester.

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 **Please review! Also, buckle up, because there's gonna be a big update coming!**


	13. Resurgence- Part 3

In the months before my assignment and after the Archangel's command, the first thing I did was locate my vessel, Jimmy Novak. It had been years since I had last visited him, and I was unsure of what to expect. I knew he was still alive- I felt it- but what if he had lost faith? What if he had turned away? Humans were notorious for their pettiness, as well as devotion.

It was evening when I found him, and he had moved into a different house, but it was in the same small town. I was a bit surprised to find other people, new people, with him. As I watched, they appeared to know each other, setting the table for their evening meal. There was a young girl and another woman. It took me a while to register who those people were:

His family. Jimmy had a family now, a daughter and a wife; and here I was, a stranger, about to ask him to leave it all behind.

They sit down, and the girl reaches for some bread across the table before her father goes,

"Claire." Claire takes her hand back obediently and places it in her father's, giving me a moment to observe her as Jimmy says grace over their meal.

It ran in her blood too, the power to be an angelic vessel.

"Bless this food, oh Lord, and ourselves to thy loving service that we may always continue in thy faith and fear to the honor and glory of thy name. Amen. "

"Amen."

So, he was still faithful. More than that; he had brought his entire family into the devoted service of the Lord. Guilt threatened to creep onto me, gnawing at me from the inside, but I pushed it down. I knew my duty and I had to do.

They ate, then moved about in their activities before saying grace once again and retiring for the night. From what I saw, Jimmy dearly loved his family. He went upstairs to say goodnight to Claire, a tradition I've often seen among humans, whether or not the night was actually good. Then, he went and kissed his wife before going downstairs and turning to a religious channel. Soon, though, he fell asleep, leaving me to prepare myself for what I was about to say. This would be the first time that I, his guardian, would make my presence known to him. What if he had forgotten me? What if he didn't believe what I was about to tell him? I doubted if he would even be able to understand me. Perhaps he was strong enough to hear my voice, if I called to him. It was worth a try.

The screen of the television flickered and cast a blue glow over his sleeping form as I landed softly in the room, partially manifested, yet still invisible to the human eye. The television began to hum lightly, static bending in response to my presence.

" _I could see my head sticking out from underneath the front bumper. My eyes were closed, my head was turned to the right side, and on each side of me is an angel, and, uh –_ "

The voices murmured on in the screen, fading to unintelligible white noise as I began to speak to Jimmy, softly at first, in Enochian.

"Awaken, Jimmy Novak."

The screen goes completely white, static wavering across it in a dull drone. Jimmy stirs, his consciousness submerging from its slumber as he stands up and walks past me to the television.

"What the heck?"

That was a reply I expected. He did not seem to be suffering from any ill effects yet, so I spoke a little louder, yet cautiously,

"Jimmy Novak. Can you hear me? My name-"

The static increases in pitch, just a nuisance to me, but Jimmy does not seem to be taking it very well. He stumbles, trying to turn off the television, to little effect.

"My name is Castiel. Listen to me, Jimmy, past the noise."

The whine of static is now nearly ear-splitting, and he has fallen to his knees, but I press on. If he cannot understand me, then he might not be strong enough to contain me. I must continue.

"This is only a test. Do not be afraid, for you are my vessel."

He is now convulsing on the ground, about to lose consciousness. Perhaps I have gone too far. His wife would have heard the disturbance by now and would be coming down. Perhaps he was not strong enough-

"Castiel?"

I stop where I was, about to leave. I turn and see Jimmy, now sitting upright with his face upturned towards the ceiling as if I was hovering over him. I was right beside him, but I guess this would have to do. I would have breathed a sigh of relief then, if I could.

"Is that your name? Who are you?" Jimmy asks, wincing as he slowly rose to his feet.

"Hello Jimmy. I am Castiel, and I am an angel of the Lord."

He doesn't seem surprised.

"Why are you here?"

"Because Heaven requires your service. You have been called upon by the Lord for a higher purpose."

Jimmy swallows, deep in thought. His eyes flicker to the screen of the television, now dark. He lifts his head again, about to speak, when from upstairs comes the voice of his wife,

"Jimmy? Are you okay? What was that noise?"

"I-I'm alright, Ames. I just fell from the couch, that's all. I'll be up in a second." There are some shuffling noises as the wife obliges, and there is silence once again. I briefly wonder if Jimmy thinks I have gone, but I know he can now sense my presence. Before he can talk, I say,

"We will speak again." That is all, and I go, leaving Jimmy alone to think. If there was one thing that I had learned from observing humans, it was that they often needed a lot of time to think.

I came back a few days later. It was morning, and Jimmy was beside the door as Claire and his wife, Amelia, walk out.

"See you two after work," Jimmy says, planting a kiss on her cheek, then doing the same to his daughter, who smiles up at him,

"Bye, Daddy."

"Have fun at school, kiddo."

He waves at them as they leave the house, then turns to his coat rack and retrieves his own overcoat, readying to leave.

"Jimmy."

He stops in his tracks, coat half over his shoulder. He turns slowly, head tilted up.

"Castiel? Is that you?"

"Yes."

Jimmy takes a deep breath, and it becomes evident to me that he has been preparing what to say for the past few days. I expected a long string of questions, demands, maybe even profanity, pouring out like a tidal wave over a dam, but all that came out was a simple,

"Why me?"

"Because it is in your blood."

"But I-I'm just a man. I mean, I sell _ad time_ for A.M radio…It's in my blood? What does that mean?"

Jimmy has now removed his coat and hung it back on the rack. He goes to the dining room, pulling out a chair before sitting down in another one.

"Oh and uhm, would you like to take a seat?"

Though there was really no need to sit, as angels are wavelengths and thus have no need of rest, I still sat down before continuing,

"You have been chosen by God because you are strong, Jimmy. Not many humans can hear or understand an angel's voice without suffering harm."

Jimmy winced at the memory, hand going to his ear without him realizing it.

"So, uh, that was your voice, that first night? Couldn't you have toned it down a bit?"

"I had to know for sure if you were chosen."

"Chosen…for what?"

"To be taken into the service of the Lord. That is what you have been praying for, yes?"

Jimmy nodded, still trying to process the conversation.

"So…you've been with me, my entire life?"

"Yes. Since you were an infant."

Jimmy lets out a small noise, a smile crossing his face. I was confused, but now I understand it to be mild disbelief.

"Were you the one who saved me from that car? And…that day at the lake?"

I reply yes to all of them.

"And those bullies, too."

Jimmy's expression is one of wonder.

We spoke many more times after that, whenever Jimmy had the time to. We spoke about history, about my life as an angel, about God and Heaven. Days, then weeks passed, and something of a bond grew between us. Of course, I was too proud then to admit it.

Another time, Jimmy was preparing food in the kitchen, a pot of water steaming beside him. He was nearly ready to be told his true purpose, but I had to know one more thing. He had to prove his faith to me and to Heaven.

"Jimmy Novak." The radio to the side begins to hum, voices distorted as my own voice replaces it. Now expecting it, he goes to it and listens intently.

"There is one final test. You must prove your faith in God. Place your hand in the boiling water, and I will protect you from any harm."

The radio returns to a normal pitch. Jimmy straightens, eyes turning to the stove.

"If that is what the Lord commands," he says softly. He lets out a breath, preparing himself; then he rolls up his sleeve and goes directly to the pot, dropping his hand in without hesitation.

He did it.

I was already there, my ethereal hands around his physical ones, protecting them from the scalding water. It reminded me of that one time, long ago, when one of my brothers had been sent to protect Shadrach, Meshach, and Abnego from the blazing furnace of King Nebuchadnezzar. Now here I was, doing the same.

Then, there was the sound of things crashing to the ground.

" _What the hell are you doing!_?"

We both look, and see Amelia standing in the doorway. Her expression is nothing short of petrified, mouth agape in shock. Food has been spilled all over the floor from the bag she had been holding. The sudden dropping of objects is often used as a method to convey surprise, though I never understood the purpose of it. Jimmy must have not told her yet of my existence.

"It's okay. I'm okay." His free hand is up in a mollifying gesture. The other hand was still in the water, and he stares at it in amazement. The wife, however, thinks otherwise.

" _Jimmy_ ," Amelia hisses.

"Look."

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing's wrong. He asked me to do it." It was becoming more and more apparent that Amelia was going to try to wrestle him away. Or faint. Or both.

" _Who_ asked you to do it _?_ " Perhaps she thought she would be able to take down the one who asked him, even if they were a wavelength of pure energy. If anything got out of hand, I could just-

"Castiel, to prove my faith. Look," Jimmy takes his hand from the burning water, showing the unblemished arm to his wife, "I'm fine. It's a miracle." He smiles, but Amelia still stares with disbelief.

"Who's Castiel?"

She thought he was mad. She thought something had gone wrong in his head. But it was far from that; he could hear me and speak with me. He was even stronger than I had expected.

But Amelia was stubborn, refusing to understand. I had a kind of jealousy over Jimmy now, and I knew that this feeling was a sin. Lucifer was jealous.

Many nights later, I came and watched as they quarreled between each other. Claire was upstairs, wide awake, listening to her parents…well, parent, after tonight. The same guilt from weeks before caught me by surprise. I struggled with it, unaware that Jimmy had now gone outside and was standing at the doorstep.

"So, I wanna to help you. I'm about to lose my family here if you don't tell me how… Please, Castiel, just talk to me. What do you want from me?"

The time was now. I dissipated the remains of my guilt, looking down on him.

"Jimmy Novak, you have been chosen to be a vessel of the Lord, to contain the essence of an angel until you have completed your duty. Do you know what that means?"

"Yes, I understand. Promise my family will be okay and I'll do it."

"I promise."

"Then…yes."

At that single word, the word that I had been waiting for, I fully manifested myself. In a flash of celestial power, I enter into the body of Jimmy Novak.

My name is Jimmy Novak. I was born to Alexander and Josephine Novak on July 10, 1973. I-

I am an angel of the Lord. A divine being created by God. I serve Heaven.

My consciousness is momentarily overwhelmed by the surge of foreign awareness. I had a new body; one that was all too physical, too mortal. But not anymore. I am stronger. I am eternal. This is _my_ body now. I feel Jimmy's soul fade into the darkness, slipping from consciousness as he falls into a deep and profound sleep, until he is nothing more than a throb of energy in the back of my mind.

I lift my hand. It is a strange sensation.

There is a sound behind me, dulled by these human ears.

"Daddy?"

I turn. It is Claire, one hand on the door, as if beckoning me back in. I have a sudden, instinctive urge to walk to my daughter- no, no, _Jimmy's_ daughter- and pull her into an embrace. To kiss her forehead. To tell her how sorry I was and how much I would miss her. To tell her to take care of Mom. Jimmy didn't even get the chance to say goodbye-

But I tilt my head, confusion passing through my eyes. No, she was just another human to me now. I had a greater purpose to fulfill. I turn away and leave without another glance.

" **I am not your father**."

* * *

This...this has actually been my favorite chapter to type yet. All the feels. I hope you felt the same way! :')


	14. Perdition

**This'll just be a one-part chapter, as there wasn't a good place to cut it off. Enjoy~!**

* * *

 **Perdition**

I sit at a bench in a park, having transported myself a few states over. I was told to meet another angel here when I obtained my vessel, to be given my instructions. The night is cool and dry. I never realized that, nor cared to feel the temperature of the air before. Everything is different, even if I am just sitting and looking at my surroundings. In the distance a dog barks, while a few vehicles rumble quietly down the street. Previously, I was nearly omnipotent, able to see all of this and more, like from the eyes of a bird. But now, even though I cannot physically _see_ more, I am aware of more. It is a strange feeling. There is a light noise beside me, followed by a gust of wind.

"Castiel. Took you long enough."

My head swerves, and I see Sabrael. His vessel is a middle-aged Vietnamese man, older than mine, with a neat suit and close-cropped hair. A wide smile, not unkind, is spread brightly across his face, as if it had been permanently fixated on him.

"Name's Sabrael, though I'm sure you were already made aware of that."

I nod.

"Oh, not the talkative one. I see. Well then, let's get to business." Sabrael reaches out with two fingers and taps me on the forehead.

There is a flash, and in my mind's eye I see a young man.

 _This is Dean Winchester,_ a voice in my head tells me.

Soundless images, like those in films from long ago, play past my vision. Here, Dean is a young boy, running with his father from a burning building. There Dean, older now, is holding a rifle and discharging it at a spirit. Dean laughing. Dean yelling. Dean exorcising a demon. Then, there is Dean, tears pouring from his eyes as he embraces another man on the ground, who seemed dead to me. Dean drinking. Dean shoving an older man away.

Finally, the last image showed Dean Winchester being thrown onto a table, a Hellhound dragging its claws across his body before pulling his soul away and into…

 _Hell._

I blink, and I am back in the park as the voice finishes giving me instructions: _Save Dean Winchester_. Sabrael is watching me, dark brown eyes steadily boring into mine. If any human were to have woken up to that, they would have been more than slightly uncomfortable. However, I paid no mind to it.

"Any questions? Comments? Concerns?" Sabrael grins again, but I can't think of why it he finds it so amusing. I shake my head,

"No, sir."

"Good. Come when I call. Oh, and do keep in mind, this information is highly sensitive and not to be taken lightly."

"I understand."

Sabrael flashes another toothy smile, and in a few wingbeats he is gone again. I am left alone, thinking over the assignment that lay before me and about the man named Dean Winchester.

He was a hunter; I knew that much. Though, I never took any interest in observing that particular class of humans, since most of them were heavily indulgent, especially in copulation and alcohol. From what I saw, Dean wasn't an exception.

I spent the next week or so wandering, adjusting to my new human senses. On feet, I was slower than I expected; but then again, there aren't many things faster than a wavelength of light. I practiced retrieving and maneuvering my angel blade, which was no longer just a sliver of energy, but something corporeal like my body. But it was just as deadly, as I was soon about to find out.

Also, for the first few days Jimmy occasionally surfaced from oblivion, as I was still uncertain of how to suppress his consciousness. I felt his sudden awareness flood behind my vision, followed by a flow of human memories and emotions. He didn't really speak to me, only half-aware of his surroundings, and communicated to me through blurred images before just as suddenly submerging back to his stupor. But I got enough of what he was trying to tell me, because all of the images he revealed were of his wife and daughter.

Then finally, the day came.

" _Castiel._ "

There it was, the call. I straighten up and tune in to it, my wings carrying me to the source of the voice.

I land in a forest clearing and look around, seeing an array of brothers and sisters standing around me, all dressed in neatly ironed suits. I look down and I can't help but feel left out in my overcoat. I don't recognize any of them, and they didn't seem to recognize each other either. They must all be from different Garrisons. We numbered 400 in all…and something else. There was a Reaper here as well, standing casually to the side; but I could see that she was very uncomfortable.

"Perfect, the last one is here!" My attention turns to Sabrael, who is standing in the center of our provisional garrison and grinning at us even though in seconds, we were about to go into battle.

"Brothers and sisters, allow me to introduce you to our wonderful associate, Tessa."

All eyes fall upon the Reaper. We could all see her true form, past the façade she put on. She is well aware of that and shuffles slightly, clearing her throat before saying,

"This'll just be a one-way trip, got it? I won't be coming for stragglers." She mutters something under her breath like, _and I never signed up for this_ , but I don't understand what she meant by it. I have no time to, as Tessa turns and holds out her hand to the ground. Where she points, the ground begins to distort, swirling into a vortex, a bridge between the dimensions. I suddenly feel drawn to it, and it is evident everyone else feels it too.

Then, there is complete and total silence. Oblivion.

I barely have the time to relate this feeling back to the first moments of my existence when I arrive at our destination:

Hell. The Underworld. Hades. Perdition.

Memories from thousands of years past, the last time we had laid siege to this place, threaten to crumble down on me. The blood, the utter terror, the cries of agony, the chaos... Now, though, something was different. It felt much, much more evil, and I could sense it like a solid presence among us.

We were in an upper layer of Hell. It was quieter here, though we could still hear the muffled screams from down below. Somewhere, in the lower regions of this pit, was our objective, Dean Winchester. I turn to Sabrael for instructions. The smile is now wiped clean from his face, as if he left it back on Earth. He opens his mouth, momentarily at loss for words, before finally saying,

"We'll work our way down. Don't hesitate to use your blades against those who block our way."

In a second, all our blades are in our hands. I don't know how long we fought, or how many lives were lost. Like in Heaven, time is distorted, filled with unexpected bends and sharp turns. Years in Hell can easily be weeks or months on Earth.

We pushed on through the corpses of the demons we killed, only to be met by yet more on the other side. There had never been this many demons before, and they amassed like rats in the sewage. They overpowered us with their sheer numbers, taking the blades from our fallen brethren and using it against us. Breathing was nearly impossible, even though angels technically don't need to breathe, the bodies of both the dead and the living pressing onto me from all sides. It didn't help, either, that the tortured souls within the dungeon cells would often reach out to us and claw at us if we got too close, flinging unintelligible curses and whatever objects they could find at our way.

At last, we made it. I could sense his soul here, on this level. More than half the garrison had perished, and we all glanced at each other with wary eyes. This Dean Winchester must have been special, chosen, righteous, for Father to have commanded 400 angels to go down into Hell to raise him. And we were about to meet him.

Just then, the ground beneath our feet shook. There was a scream from behind me as a great burst of light filled the entire corridor. When it faded, I was alone…No, Sabrael was here, his body sprawled on top of mine. I realized that I was on the ground. It took me a moment for my dazed mind to connect the pieces: Someone had very cleverly hidden and activated an extremely powerful sigil. I was only protected because Sabrael had fallen on me. A glance told me that he was alive, but barely, his breaths ragged. His vessel was destroyed, the bones in his lower body all twisted askew. But who had-?

"Oh, hm, looks like we have our winner!" A voice sang out, and a shudder of horror passed through me. Hands behind me roughly pulled me upright, and I had only a second to look around me. But it was enough.

All the angels around us were dead.

"Come, now, it's all collateral damage," I turn to the chilling voice, the demons holding my arms tightening their grip. If I didn't feel so fatigued, I would have been able to toss them off easily.

" _Alastair_. What have you done? Where is he?"

He doesn't seem surprised that I knew his name. His dead eyes stare back into mine, soulless pits in a disfigured face.

"Something I learned from an… old friend of your buddies upstairs. It really took me a while to make, though. Very special ingredients involved." He takes his hand away from the still-glowing sigil, wiggling his fingers at me. Angel's blood is smeared over them, and I fight back the urge to recoil in revulsion.

"Oh, and do you mean him?" Alastair smiles coldly and steps aside.

There is Dean Winchester. It's him, I keep telling myself, it's him; but the other half of me resists, denying that this…this _abomination_ before me is the man whom we had been fighting and dying for.

Dean didn't even seem to notice us. He was hunched over, a wickedly curved blade in one hand, and he was… I can't go on. What is done in Hell stays in Hell. This wasn't the Dean I know now.

Alastair is suddenly right beside me. He sighs, something of a wistful look passing through his twisted features,

"Ah, kid's these days. They just grow up so fast."

I don't reply. I am nearly at full power now, and I will make Alastair will pay for what he did. But Alastair also knew, and he quickly steps away,

"But, like all kids, they must leave home one day or another," he snaps his fingers, and the two demons hastily release me, "I'll make you a one-time deal. I give you Dean Winchester, and you leave your feathery little pal over there with us."

I glance back down. Sabrael's Grace was fading fast. He looked up at me, terror in his eyes, but nods and manages a weak smile. I could still do it. I could save them both-

"We'll take good care of him, oh, I promise. You needn't worry at all. So go on, angel, take the Winchester. He's all yours!" Alastair is laughing now, as if he had already won. The two demons are at Sabrael's side now, like hyenas hovering over a kill. I open my mouth, to say no, to say _anything_ to stall for time, but something in me clicks.

I serve Heaven. I can't allow myself to mourn over the life of one angel. My duty to God comes first; not Sabrael.

"I choose Dean Winchester." The words are out of my mouth before I realize it; but it's too late. In that instant, all four of them- Alastair, Sabrael, the two demons- are gone, Alastair's laughter echoing behind. I am left alone with Dean, so intent on inflicting torture on the soul laid before him that he still has not realized what was happening.

Now, some of you may think that when I first began to interact with Dean, I was…unkind to him, to say the least. But I had my reasons, especially after what I witnessed on this day. It wasn't exactly a good first impression.

I take him by the arm; not gently, but roughly, my hand searing into his impure skin. Everything about him was unclean, and it burned from my touch. It did not matter. Dean let out a cry, like one who has been jarred awake.

"What the hell-!"

I waste no time. My wings flare open, hands tightly gripping his arm as I lift the two of us upwards from Perdition.

* * *

 **Ahhh I think I just introduced and killed off an angel OC in one chapter. Wow. :'D But don't worry...He'll be back...**

 **Please review! I really love them.**


	15. Resurrection

**Resurrection**

As we rise up into the world of the living, I leave a blast wave of energy in our wake. At the same time, a voice rings in my head, loud and clear,

" _Dean Winchester has been saved."_

Immediately after, I am given my instructions. There is no mention of the rest of the garrison, and I don't bring up the topic. It was as if they had already been forgotten. Before I return his soul to his body, I was to erase Dean's memories, beginning at the point where he first arrived in Perdition. It wasn't a perfect wipe, either, as there were some holes here and there, but it was enough so that there would be no permanent damage to his mind.

As I watch Dean awake and begin to claw his way to the surface, I try to allow myself some sense of accomplishment; but all I can see, replaying over and over again in my mind's eye, are the dead faces of my brothers and sisters and Sabrael's sad, defeated smile. I wasn't supposed to dwell on such thoughts; they had given their lives promoting Heaven's cause. That was our purpose. That was how we all were supposed to be programmed to think.

Though…before, I never had any notion to suspect that there might have been a reason that the Archangels chose these particular angels to raise Dean. It was only through a terrible accident that only I had managed to survive at all. But there was always something softly whispering to me in the edges of my mind, dripping doubt into my system as it went: _What if the Archangels had picked us out on purpose? What if they wanted to get rid of us in one sweep, like tossing us away into the waste?_

I had always cast the idea back into the darkness where it had slithered from…but it made sense. I, along with a few others in the group, had trouble obeying orders. Sabrael was too charismatic. Deborah was too merciful. Miniel was too attached to his vessel. This list went on, and if you looked at all of us, put together…

 **We were too human.**

I watched as one hand, then two pushed through the loose soil. All I could hear was Dean gasping as he struggled in his silent battle against the tomb that threatened to suck him back in.

Dean is now nearly fully out, collapsing with exhaustion as he looks past me, seeing the glaring light of day for the first time in years.

Dean is now upright, confusion evident on his features as he looks around himself, noticing the ring of felled trees.

Dean is now making his way down an old, dusty road. All this was done at an agonizingly slow pace. I would have liked to sweep down there and sent him away to wherever he was going, but I was not allowed to make contact to him. Not yet.

Finally, he arrived at an abandoned gas station and, much to my disapproval, broke through the door and began to ransack the place. As he washed the dirt from his face in the worn-out restroom, Dean appears to have some recollection of his death. He blinks, as if remembering something, then lifts his shirt to reveal his unscathed chest, healed of the wounds the Hellhound had inflicted on him. Next, Dean notices the large imprint on his arm; and from what I saw on his expression, he did not have any memory of how it had gotten there either.

After he takes the necessities from the store, Dean finds and begins to flip through the pages from a rather vulgar magazine, taking his time. My unease and impatience grows as he then starts taking all the money from the cashier register and shoving them into his bag as well.

"You should not be wasting your time here, Dean Winchester," I say, deciding to neglect my orders to keep silent. The moment that I speak, the rusted television behind me flickers on and begins to drone with white noise. Dean stops, then walks through me and turns it off. I continue,

"Listen to me, Dean. I know you can hear me," He freezes, something akin to terror crossing his eyes as the radio beside him flicks on and begins to hum as well. I almost thought he heard me, before suddenly he lunges at a shelf, grabbing a sack of salt and starting to pour it down along the sides of the building. I pause, puzzled at what he was doing. For a second I thought maybe I did go too far with his mind wipe and damaged something in his head. Then, I recalled that malignant spirits and demons couldn't tolerate salt. I could have laughed then, if the memories of Perdition were not so fresh in my mind.

"I am an angel! Salt doesn't work on us, you-" He does not appear to hear me, now bent over on the ground with his hands over his ears. Perhaps he wasn't chosen after all. But why would God order us to sacrifice our lives to raise this human, if he couldn't even understand us? I feel a sudden wash of rage come over me, accumulated from the weeks I had spent nearly dying down in the pit. And all for this one little human.

"I didn't raise you from Perdition so you can raid a gas station! Get up, Winchester, or I will-" Glass around us shatters as I speak, showering shards over the pitifully terrified human on the floor. I would have continued, but I am suddenly cut off when I feel a powerful gust of wind envelope me, and then I find myself standing in a room…in Heaven.

"What do you think you're doing, Castiel?"

I turn to the familiar voice and see Uriel standing behind me. He had a vessel now as well, but I didn't know whether to feel relieved to see someone from my own Garrison again, or feel angered at his interruption.

"I was speaking to him, Uriel."

"Yes, I got that much. And against your orders, too. Do you wish to kill the man you only just saved from Hell?"

"I merely wished to redirect his path. There is not enough time for him to be idling around."

"That is reasonable enough. Well, except, there is the slight fact that he _didn't understand you_!" Uriel's voice rose slightly, then he caught himself and lowered his tone,

"After our superiors saw your little outburst down there, they thought it best to assign me to… provide you council in order to minimalize potential errors in conduct."

"They sent _you_ to watch over me?" Uriel was bad enough already, if the centuries of constant scrutiny had anything to say about it; and now he was being authorized to do it.

"If you would like to put it that way. I am still your subordinate, of course; but I am to accompany you in your interactions with the Winchesters."

"…Very well, then."

* * *

 **Sorry for such a belated update, guys! Please review~**


	16. Resurrection- Part 2

Uriel and I head back to Earth. Dean had just left the gas station in an old car he found nearby. Cars and other vehicles humans used always struck me as slow and useless - nothing compared to wings - but much later I was to find out how valuable they actually were, especially if you were a human. We followed Dean in silence until finally, tired of staring at endless fields of dried grass and trees, I turn to Uriel,

"How is the rest of the Garrison?"

"They are doing well. Except…" Uriel pauses, suddenly uncomfortable. I narrow my eyes,

"What?"

"We lost one. Raguel. How he perished is a mystery, but we believe it to be the work of a demon."

"Who was it?"

"We don't know."

No demon that I knew could physically overpower an angel…unless it was a very powerful demon. An angel could only be slain with an angelic blade, which meant that only an angel could take another's life…

"Well, was there any evidence?"

"No; not even a trace of sulfur. But I have put a few of our angels on it."

I am about to reply when I notice that Dean has parked his car beside a house. Nearby is some kind of yard, full of scrap metal and junked cars. The whole place reeks of rust and alcoholism. Why would Dean come here, of all places?

We watch as Dean makes his way to the front door, cautiously knocking on it. I can see the man inside the house give a start, as if surprised that there was a visitor, getting up to open the door. As it swings open, both stare at each other in silence. A wave of mixed emotions, too many to discern, washes over me. There are few words spoken, but the warning signs soon become glaringly obvious. The older man, who Dean calls "Bobby", suddenly lunges forward. I see the flash of a silver blade and start towards them as well, nearly revealing myself then and there, when Uriel's hand falls heavily on my shoulder.

"See, Castiel, here is your fault. Watch," I stop, still tensed and ready to send Bobby flying through the wall if need be. I didn't even realize that my angel blade was in my hand, which was clenched so tightly that it hurt. The memories of fighting in Perdition flashed past my eyes.

"Bobby, it's me!" Dean exclaims.

"My ass!" The two continue to grapple, and I am filled with confusion. Why do they fight? Did Dean come here just to be killed? They pause suddenly, appearing calm again, before Bobby puts a hand on Dean's shoulder and slashes once more at him. I cast a glance at Uriel, who is watching the fight intently. I must have imagined it, but I thought I saw a shadow of a smile on Uriel's face, as if he were amused. As if this was a game to him.

"I am not a shapeshifter!" Dean yells, frantically trying to evade the other man in the small space there was.

"Then you're a Revenant!" He roars back, and dives at Dean. I began to understand why they were fighting- this Bobby was a hunter as well, and he thought Dean was a monster. I nearly forgot how distrustful hunters were of other people, and of their habit of striking first and talking later. I kept it in mind for when I was to meet Dean, as he would no doubt probably try to kill me as well.

Dean manages to disarm Bobby, but in a rather ungraceful fashion. Then, he takes a step back and slices his upper arm with the edge of it…to prove that he was not a monster. I wondered why he couldn't have just touched the silver instead, as it would have burned monsters the same way. They hug, when Bobby deftly slips a container from his pocket. I tense, but it is merely holy water that splashes across Dean's face.

"I'm not a demon either, you know," he goes, spitting the water from his mouth. Bobby shrugs,

"Sorry. Can't be too careful."

They talk some more, something about "Sammy" and burying Dean's body, but what I understood from it was that they believed Dean had been raised from Perdition by a demon. It was a logical misconception, but a foolish one nonetheless. It was hard enough for a demon to manage to escape from Hell, but bringing another soul along with it was just about impossible. Not even Lilith herself could do it, with her long-broken wings. Uriel and I watch the two for a while longer, and when I am sure that Dean is safe, we leave.

Uriel takes me back to our Garrison, and we have a short exchange of greetings. It was nothing near to how humans did it, with hugs or kisses or tears of joy. The closest to that I received was when Balthazar stepped up and clapped me on the back, a wide smile on his face. I tried not to think of Sabrael's smile, so similar to his. No one asked me what had happened down in the pit, but all knew that the other angels that had gone with me were not coming back.

Next, I am shown the site where Raguel had been murdered. It was on an empty lot of land overgrown with weeds, a rotting building to the side. Raguel's body had been found by the humans the day before, and now there was no trace of…anything. No struggle, no sulfur, not even wing imprints to mark the death of an angel. Whoever had killed him had been very careful, almost _too_ careful, and had taken the time to make sure it looked like a normal human murder. They had intended to lure him here, alone and unaware.

I remembered Raguel from the time we had seen Lucifer's Fall, to when we had laid siege to Hell, side by side, in search of Cain, to when we watched Earth together for two thousand years. He would be missed. Uriel is standing quietly beside me. I take a moment longer to survey the area before addressing him,

"Let the others know that I want no angel in the Garrison to go off unaccompanied, understand?"

Uriel nods gravely. There is silence. I try to think of something else to say, finally coming out with,

"Any news of Lilith?"

"No. We are in the dark as to her whereabouts. We think she is on the move to break more Seals. _Demons_ are amassing in great numbers throughout the Earth." Uriel all but spat out the word _demons_ , a look of disgust on his face. I ignore it,

"Have we been given permission to eradicate them yet?"

"No. _But_ ," Uriel says, before I can speak again, "We have been made aware that a group of those maggots-in-meat suits are in town. From what I've seen, they numbered about twenty in all. I believe they might have been sent by Lilith, and could be the suspects of Raguel's murder."

"Have our superiors given us any word on it?"

"Not yet. I will go and seek revelation tonight, but I trust they will finally allow us," he catches himself, seeing the slightly sick look on my face, "…allow _me_ and the rest of the Garrison to crush a few."

"Where are they located?"

"A few miles west of this town, staked out in one of those filthy human diners-" I cast Uriel a cautioning look, and he closes his mouth and sighs.

We go and find the demons that Uriel talked about, honing in to them immediately. They currently appeared to be in hiding, having taken possession of a few customers and the shop owners and staff. They just seemed to be waiting…for orders, no doubt. Uriel and I watched from a distance, careful to stay fully cloaked. We didn't move or speak until night began to fall. I barely realized it. After two thousand years on Earth, this was what I had become accustomed to. I could probably stand in this one position for days. Humans would probably go mad.

Then, I heard the voice in my head. Uriel appeared to hear it too, tilting his head Heaven-wards. It gave us our next instructions, enlightening us to our duties. In a flash, we took flight.

I stand in an old motel room. Cheap furniture is scattered here and there, and it stank of… _demon_? I glance at Uriel. He sensed it as well, his face contorted into one of utter revulsion. There are voices in the next room over. Soundlessly, we move in to listen.

"-probably want this back," says an unfamiliar voice. Two other men are standing around Dean- Bobby and…Sam. The boy with the demon blood. Dean's brother. Sam finishes speaking, handing Dean a cord with something attached to it- something strange and radiating with power. I narrow my eyes, leaning in to get a good view of it as Dean holds it out in his open palm.

Today, I am not even sure what it is, or how it came to be. It was a very ancient and powerful amulet, and through it I heard the old song of Heaven, back in the days before Lucifer Fell and the Earth was pure. As I watch Dean loop it around his neck, I knew then, instinctively, that the amulet was connected to God.

"Thanks."

"Yeah, don't mention it," Sam replies. I frown. Why would he say that if Dean already did mention it? Sam continues,

"Hey Dean, what was it like?" Dean looks up, smile slightly fading from his face.

"What, Hell? I don't know. I... I must have blacked out. I don't remember a damn thing." It was a lie. Uriel scoffed from beside me, muttering " _slanderous mud monkeys_ " under his breath. However, Sam did not seem to have any suspicions,

"Well, thank God for that."

"…Yeah."

I tensed at the mention of our Father. I almost thought they had found out about our existence while we were gone, and that we would have to change all our plans. But then Uriel notified me that it was only a common saying humans often used. They weren't even aware of the truth behind what they said. Dean paused for a second, then cleared his throat and muttered that he needed to go use the restroom.

I followed him… I really did. Though now I realize how awkward that might have been for humans. Only to them was the act of excreting waste a private matter, even though I've seen them watch their pets do it all the time. I never told Dean this, nor will I ever, probably.

Dean flicked on the light inside the tiny room, then leaned forward on the sink to study himself intensely in the mirror. Something was off the moment he came into contact with his own eyes. He was actually _trying_ to break the barrier I had built within his mind, probing cautiously at the dark corners of his memory. His eyes suddenly flickered, and I saw before my own vision a flash of what he was seeing. He was in some dark place, pure terror coursing through his veins. He was remembering. I glance at Uriel, unsure. Should I stop Dean, or-?

He shook his head, watching Dean closely. Uriel had the sudden appearance of a predator, as there was a subtle shift in his features. If I did not know him, I might have mistaken Uriel's expression as one of malice. But instead, I convinced myself that he was simply very interested in Dean's condition.

Finally, Dean blinks a few times, his vision clearing as he pulls away from his own gaze. There are a few beats of silence, broken when from another room Sam's voice calls,

"You coming, Dean?" He swallowed, taking a deep breath before replying,

"Yeah, yeah. Just finishing up," Dean splashes some water over his face, wiping it clean before walking from the room. Suddenly, he stops halfway, as if he sensed something. I tilt my head, standing only a few feet away from him. Did he-? I don't even get to finish my thought when Dean strides back into the room, turning off the light and then leaving once more. Uriel chuckles at my reaction, but I don't see anything funny about it.

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 **Please review! 8D And Cas is going to meet Dean face-to-face in the next chapter, I promise!**


	17. Resurrection- Part 3

**Warning for some mature language in this one...because demons can't keep their mouths shut. :P**

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Dean exits from the motel after Sam and Bobby, taking the keys that Sam tosses at him. He smiles,

"Hey, sweetheart, did you miss me?" I glance around, wondering who Dean was addressing. No one else was in the vicinity other than the three of them. Uriel notices my bemused expression, sighing,

"Really, Cas, you should at least try to familiarize yourself with the human language. He's talking to his car." I look back, confusion growing. Why would he attempt to communicate with an inanimate object? Then it dawns on me,

"Is this… _idol worship_?"

Uriel bursts out laughing again, his vessel making wheezing noises with each wave of mirth that hits him. When he doesn't stop, I frown and leave him there. Uriel can really be an ass at times.

I land in the back seat of Dean's car. Sam and Dean are sitting side by side in silence, but I could almost feel the questions bubbling beneath the surface of both their minds. Finally, Dean speaks,

"There's still one thing that's bothering me."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, the night that I bit it. Or... got bit," Dean chuckles at his own wit, but I sigh. He and Uriel were so alike. He continues, "How'd you make it out? I thought Lilith was going to kill you."

Now here was something new. I was aware that Dean had been taken by a Hellhound, but Lilith was there as well? Perhaps I could get information on her location from this.

"Well, she tried. She couldn't," Sam replied.

"What do you mean, 'she couldn't'?"

"She fired this, like, burning light at me, and... didn't leave a scratch. Like I was immune or something." I lean in closer. I had heard about Lilith's capabilities, and how she had managed to find and choke down her old Grace in order to regain some angelic powers. But those were twisted and tainted nonetheless, only a shadow of their former glory, and had nearly killed her in the process.

Just then, there is a gust of air as Uriel arrives beside me. He appeared to have gotten over his laughing fit, expression now serious.

"I just received word from our superiors." I only half listen to him, focused on Sam and Dean's conversation,

"About?"

"We are to track down a demon by the name of –"

"-Ruby, where is she?" says Dean's voice, and Uriel tenses. So that is her name.

"Dead. For now," replies Sam. We both know it was a lie. But why would he lie, unless he was connected to this Ruby somehow? I remembered the traces of demon we had sensed earlier inside the motel, and I had a notion as to why it had been there.

"So you've been using your, uh, freaky ESP stuff?"

"No." Once again, another lie. Uriel appeared to be ready to jump up from his seat and smite Sam right then.

"Let's go, Uriel," I say, a warning evident in my voice. He huffs, taking flight and disappearing from sight. I linger, hoping for Sam and Dean to talk some more about Lilith, but they have both gone silent again. Sam turns away, a troubled look on his face. Perhaps he knew someone was watching him and saw through his lie.

Uriel is waiting for me when I arrive. I look around, surprised to find myself at the same diner we were stationed at. The Arches must be joking with us, tossing us around like this. I am about to ask Uriel why we have come here again when from the corner of my eye I catch some movement. A form, which I instantly recognize as a demon, is stalking through the shadows. I don't need to ask to know that it is Ruby.

She appeared to be spying on the demons inside the diner, which had long closed down for the night. Ruby stood stock still for a few moments, before just as quickly turning and leaving. Silently, we follow after her. She appeared to be going nowhere, cutting through the dark woods and past dense undergrowth.

For a human or even a demon, it would have been impossible to follow her without being noticed. That was probably her plan- except, we were neither. After a while, the demon stopped in a clearing. She cast her gaze behind her, eyes passing through our veiled forms, before taking out a syringe from her pocket. We both tensed, but I sensed no trap and told Uriel to calm down, whose eyes were burning with restrained fury.

Then, Ruby stabbed herself in the arm with the needle.

"What is she doing?" hissed Uriel as the syringe began filling with her own unclean blood. I did not know. When she was done, she took out another syringe and did the same. We could only watch with a kind of disgusted fascination.

After the third syringe, Ruby began swaying unsteadily on her feet. She finished filling the vial, then glanced around once more before sinking to the ground…and promptly fell asleep.

It's a common fact that demons, like angels, don't sleep. At least, not from what I've seen or been told. Then again, I've never seen a demon drawing their own blood, and in such vast quantities. Maybe it was for a spell? But if it was, why would she wait?

When we were sure that the demon was asleep, Uriel growled,

"We should kill her now."

"You know our orders. We were only to track her down."

"But she's just an insignificant little maggot, not even a high-tier demon!"

"And why would our superiors tell us to follow her if she is just a 'maggot'? She must be important. We need to keep her alive."

Uriel says nothing more on the matter, falling back into his usual brooding state. The night passes without any other strange occurrences.

Dawn slowly begins to filter through the treetops. The demon, who had lain for the whole night in that one position, finally stirs. I nudge Uriel, and we watch as Ruby slowly rises, shaking off the cold dew that had collected on her body overnight. She checks the syringes by her side, seeing that they are safe before covering them with the edge of her jacket and heading off. We follow behind without a word.

As Ruby walks, she takes out her cell phone from her pocket and dials something in. She appeared to be heading towards the main road. Her pace quickens as whoever she is calling does not pick up. Finally, she lets out a soft noise of frustration and cancels the call, stuffing the phone back into her pocket.

Suddenly, Uriel nudges me, motioning towards the trees. At the same moment I turn to see, there is a loud SNAP behind us. Ruby notices it too, whirling around in a split second.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here," Another demon emerges from behind the trees, possessing the body of a waitress from the diner. Two other demons appear as well to the left and right of Ruby, flanking her in.

"I thought I smelled a bitch from the parking lot." Ruby doesn't speak and backs away slowly. There was a look of terror on her face, but it seemed slightly…off. Like she had planned for this to happen.

"Who's the blood for, honey? I doubt Red Cross would take it."

"Why don't you ask Lilith or her boyfriend?" Ruby snaps back, eyes darting between the other two demons.

"We would but- Oh, don't you know? Hell's phone lines are out of service."

"Better call in technical support, then," she retorts. A look of rage crosses the demon waitress' features,

"Don't you smart-mouth me, Ruby!" With a sweep of her arm, the waitress sends Ruby flying back into a tree. There is a cracking noise as something breaks- probably her ribs or spine.

"We should do something, Uriel. They're going to kill her," I say, watching as Ruby groans on the ground.

"No. We _both_ know our orders. We were only to track her down," he replies curtly, and I don't realize until later that he was mockingly imitating what I had said earlier.

"So this is all the Winchester's precious little slut has got, huh? Pathetic," The waitress waves her arm again, tossing Ruby sideways like a ragdoll into another tree. Something else breaks from the impact. The three demons advance towards her as she unsteadily gets to her feet, an arm dislocated from her shoulder.

"Best wishes from Lilith! Oh, and tell Alastair we said hi," The waitress crows, stopping a few feet before Ruby.

"Wait!" Ruby yells, as the other demon's hand starts to rise again, "I can tell you where he is. Dean Winchester." The demon's hand lowers,

"Alastair's pet? If you haven't heard, he's in the deep hole right now, and you're going next."

"Oh yeah? Well I just saw him yesterday, alive and breathing."

" _Liar_ ," the waitress hisses, raising her arm again.

"I can prove it!" Ruby's eyes flashed real fear this time. Her plan, whatever it was, obviously did not seem to be going according to plan.

"So what? It doesn't matter, anyways. We'll just have to drag him back in ourselves." Just then, a voice sounded in my head. I blink, looking around. It was not the voice of revelations, and it buzzed irritably in my ear like a fly. And it went,

 **"** ** _I invoke, conjure, and command you, appear unto me before this circle_** **."**

Uriel is staring at me with confusion. He says something, but I can't hear him.

 **"** ** _I invoke, conjure, and command you, appear unto me before this circle_** **."**

I shake my head, backing away from Uriel with bewilderment.

 **"** ** _I invoke, conjure, and command you, appear unto me before this circle._** **"**

"No, no. This is Castiel, and I command you to cease this incantation at once!"

" ** _Castiel? No. Sorry, Castiel, I don't scare easy_** **,"** the voice replies smoothly.

"You do not want to do this, Pamela Barnes," I warn, anger building up inside me. This human dared to tell me, an angel, what to do?

I did not notice it, but my voice had broken through the veil that cloaked the two of us and had filled the forest clearing with a high-pitched drone. Uriel was shaking me now, and all four demons had frozen, the waitress' hand half-raised for the death blow.

 **"** ** _I conjure and command you, show me your face_** **."**

" _No,_ " I hiss, gripping the sides of my head.

 **"** ** _I conjure and command you, show me your face_** **."**

The three demons had turned tail and bolted, leaving Ruby alone.

 **"** ** _I conjure and command you, show me your face_** **."**

I felt myself moving against my will. This could not be possible. Ruby scrambled to her feet and ran as well, dragging her ruined body behind her.

 **"** ** _I conjure and command you, show me your face_** **."**

Uriel sounded far away now, yelling something unintelligible at my face. I look up at him, and he suddenly backs away as he sees my eyes begin to radiate light.

 ** _"_** ** _I command you, show me your face! SHOW ME YOUR FACE NOW!"_**

" ** _NO_**!" I roar, and stand, wings tossing open from my back. Light pours from me in all directions and suddenly, I am in a darkened room and not in the forest with Uriel. I cannot make out the faces of the people sitting in a ring before me, seeing only what looks like fire surrounding my vision. Someone is screaming, the sound piercing into my ears. I find myself free again, and my vision clears as the flames flicker and die out...

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 **Looks like this'll be a four-part chapter, haha...*dies* |D**


	18. Resurrection- Part 4

**Ok so this'll be a five-part chapter then, I promise. xD I have terrible planning skills...Oh and in response to your question, dear Guest:**

 **Thank you so much! And yes, I'm excited too! Of course I ship Destiel. *u* Who doesn't? Though, I doubt from Cas' POV that there will be much of anything...sexual...going on *cough*sadly*cough*. Just lots and lots of angel awkwardness! Gotta love those.**

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Rushing to Pamela's aid are none other than Dean, Sam, and Bobby. I feel a spark of anger ignite within me as I catch sight of Dean's rolled-up shirt sleeve, glaringly revealing my handprint, and I begin to piece together what had occurred prior to my appearance. They had hired a psychic, who was now blind just because they wanted to know who I was. I should crush all of them and toss Dean back into Hell for their impudence-

" _Don't_."

I give a start. This was not an angel's voice, either. It only takes me a second to recognize the familiar tone:

Jimmy. He had probably sensed my anger and been jarred awake by it. I feel calmness wash over me before his consciousness subsides once again.

"Call 9-1-1!" yells Bobby's voice as Pamela sobs,

"I can't see! I can't see! Oh god!" She lifts her burned eyelids to reveal smoking, empty eye sockets. I turn my face away from the sight. Sam is in another room calling for help while Dean and Bobby are on the floor trying to keep the woman from clawing at her face in pain.

Pamela is rushed to the hospital. The men try to linger near her, but they are ushered away by the doctors. Questions were asked as to how she had sustained such an injury. Dean shook his head in false confusion, lying through his teeth,

"We were visiting her from Pontiac, since she's a friend of my uncle's, but when we got to her house this morning we found her on the ground with her eyes just..." He stopped, placing his hand on his mouth as if to back his emotions, and continued," Will…will she be okay?"

"We're working on stabilizing her right now. No other part of her skull or brain seems to have been affected, so there is a high chance she will recover from this."

Dean nods at the doctor, and once out of earshot turned away with Sam and angrily muttered,

" _Minus the eyes_ ," as they walked back to where Bobby was waiting. I watch as they speak, then suddenly wonder where Uriel is. He should have found me by now, unless he was still following Ruby…

But what if he disregarded his orders and killed her after all? What if she was already dead, her eyes burned out like Pamela's? As I debate whether or not to leave, I hear the familiar brush of wings as Uriel arrives.

"Where-"I begin, before Uriel cuts me off,

"Relax, Castiel, the demon is safe. I tracked her to the main road. She took a car and drove off. Nothing else."

I nod, loosening up somewhat.

"And what happened to you back there? You looked like you snapped, then burst into a fireball and disappeared."

"I-I was being summoned. A psychic was conjuring me. She's in there right now." I motion towards the hospital room, where doctors were crowded around her bed.

"And you…tried to smite her?"

"No. She tried to see me. Not exactly a good idea."

Uriel chuckles at that, but I frown,

"You should not be laughing."

"Why not? The idiocy of humans never fails to amuse me. Filthy mud m-"

"Quiet. They're leaving."

We watch as Dean and Sam part ways with Bobby, who said that he would stay at the hospital and update them on Pamela's condition. We follow them out of the hospital and into their car. Nothing else is communicated between the brothers, a usual brooding silence falling between them. No doubt they were thinking of me. And how to kill me.

However, the more they drive, the more it becomes apparent to me where they were headed:

Johnny Mac's, the same diner that the demons had chosen to nest in. I doubted that it was a coincidence. I see the demons watching them from inside as Sam and Dean drive up and park their car. The three demons that had nearly killed Ruby earlier were back, though I saw that they still appeared to be badly shaken up. We follow them inside, Uriel casting his eyes around with open hostility even though no one could see us.

"This place absolutely _reeks_ -" Uriel begins.

"This is nothing compared to Hell," I rebuke him, tossing him a glance. He closes his mouth. We watch as the demon waitress approaches Dean,

"So what can I get you?"

"I'll take two pies. Cherry."

"Be up in a jiff." She notes the order down and leaves towards the counter. I can see her watching him from the corner of her eyes as she prepares his order, sending a shudder of disgust through me. Every single human in here save the two Winchesters had been taken by a demon. I hear my name mentioned by the brothers,

"We got a name. Castiel, or whatever. With the right mumbo-jumbo we could summon him, bring him right to us," Dean says. Uriel snorts,

"Like I said, the stupidity of humans..."

Sam blanches at Dean's suggestion,

"You're crazy. Absolutely not." Dean ignores him, continuing,

"We'll work him over. I mean, after what he did?" Did Dean really think he could "work me over", like I was some low-tier demon or beast? And it was hardly my fault, as seeing any angel in an unfiltered form could easily overwhelm a human. I must have scoffed a little at Dean's words too, because Uriel turned and smiled at me triumphantly.

"Pam took a peek at him and her eyes burned out of her skull, and you want to have a face to face?"

"You got a better idea?"

"Yeah, as a matter of fact I do. I followed some demons to town, right?" The two demons towards the side of the diner glance up, listening intently.

"Okay," Dean says, a skeptical look on his face. I notice another demon that was drinking coffee at the counter give a deft nod to the waitress, who takes the two plates of pie and begins to approach. I stiffen.

"So, we go find them. Someone's gotta know something about something." They did not even realize the utter irony of that statement. The waitress arrives, setting the plates down. Immediately, the brothers stop talking about the subject. Sam thanks her, but she smiles and promptly sits down beside them. It takes everything in me not to jump forward and smite her.

Dean smirks at the waitress,

"You angling for a tip?" Her smile doesn't falter,

"I'm sorry. Thought you were looking for us." As her eyes flicker to black, Uriel lets out a noise of disgust. The smile abruptly falls from the faces of both brothers. We begin to circle the group as a demon goes and locks the front door with a click, barring the way. I feel my angel blade slip into my hand as they begin to talk, tension crackling like electricity through the air.

Soon, I realize that the demons have not gotten the news from the Pit yet. The Archangels did a good job on severing the communication lines, leaving the demons cut off and unsure…For now. Dean tosses a sharp retort at the waitress, and I recall what had happened to Ruby when she had done so. Unlike a demon, his spine won't be able to just realign itself. Sam appears to be ready to move as well, and I see his demon dagger shifting inside his back pocket. However, Dean motions for his brother to stand down,

"No. Because if you were you would have done it already. Fact is, you don't know who cut me loose. And you're just as spooked as we are. And you're looking for answers. Well, maybe it was some turbo-charged spirit. Or, uh, Godzilla. Or some big bad boss demon. I'm guessing at your pay grade that they don't tell you squat. Because whoever it was, they want me out. And they're a lot stronger than you. So go ahead. Send me back. But don't come crawling to me when they show up on your front doorstep with some Vaseline and a fire hose."

Uriel is chuckling again as Dean lists off the possibilities. I frown at the mention of "Godzilla". Was it another pagan god, perhaps? Now, I do recongize the reference, ever since Metatron had uploaded all those countless millions of books into my mind; but I still don't understand. Godzilla is an entirely fictional creature, with a similar structure to that of the dinosaurs from long ago. I doubted it had the ability to save souls from Hell, even if it could fire strange beams of light from its eyes (which is physically impossible). It can't even fly.

The waitress had kept her human's expression calm throughout Dean's lecture, but I can see her demon visage twisting within her, baring its ugly teeth at the brothers in a mixture of anger and uncertainty. She forces on a smile,

"I'm going to reach down your throat and rip out your lungs." But I can see that she did not mean it. She was scared, and she should be. However, Dean did not let her go. He smiled back at her, leaning in close, and I wondered why until he reached forward and struck her across the face. Uriel was smiling like a fool. At my glare he cleared his throat and shifted his expression. Dean tossed another punch, and still the demon did not retaliate.

"That's what I thought. Let's go, Sam," Dean finally says. The demon does not reply, sweating profusely now, her confidence shattered. To take it even further, much to my disapproval, Dean tosses some money down at her,

"For the pie." He injects as much scorn as possible into the phrase. This was how people got killed.

As the two brothers leave, I see all the demons' eyes follow them out. As soon as they stepped out one of the male demons, in the body of a cook, started forward as if to attack them anyways.

"Stop! Let them go," the waitress hisses, still fuming. The cook protests,

"But-"

"I said **let them go**!" she roars, slamming her hand on a table, and he quiets.

"Then ma'am, what should we do now? The Winchesters are-" begins another demon, before getting cut off.

"We'll wait for our orders. And when we get them…oh, I'll make sure that the short one finds out what his eyeballs taste like." I shudder in disgust, but the imminent danger has passed.

"And when d'you think that'll be? We haven't heard back from them in _days_ ," another demon muttered.

"Then we'll…" The waitress stops, anger flaring in her eyes, "Aw, screw Hell. If we don't hear any word tonight, then we'll go after them ourselves." The demons all smile, mutilated faces twisted upward in unison. I turn away to look at Uriel, who is deep in thought,

"I will go see what our superiors have to say on this matter. I will be back," he finally says. I nod, and he is gone. I stay behind to watch the demons, occasionally flitting away to check on the two brothers. They pored over texts and books for the entire afternoon, but once in a while I noticed Sam glancing up from his research to frown at Dean when he wasn't looking. God only knows what was going through his mind.

As the day faded to night, Uriel finally came back. He glanced at Sam and Dean, who were still blissfully unaware of our presence, before going,

"Apologies for not returning sooner. We have another…situation."

"Which is?"

"Another angel has been killed from our Garrison." My vessel's stomach drops, but I force the uncomfortable feeling down.

"Who? How?"

"Judith. By…an angel's blade," Uriel swallows, then frowns, "Ezekiel found her a few hours ago in an alleyway two towns over. She was killed late last night, from our estimates."

Perhaps at this point, I might have allowed a slight seed of suspicion to grow within me…but I was still too blindly faithful back then. I destroyed the seed before it took root.

"And was no one with her? Did I not command you to tell everyone that they are to be accompanied at all times?" I demanded, turning to glare Uriel in the face.

"I already told them, all of them. She must have wandered off against orders," he said, indignation flashing across his features. I turn away,

"Take me to her."

"Yes, I will; but I have more pressing news for you. We have been given clearance to eradicate the demons from the diner immediately. They are dangerous and must be neutralized."

"Fine. Get the Garrison-"

"No. The Arches specifically ordered the two of us to carry this judgment out."

Why just the two of us, I did not know. But I was a good soldier. I complied.

I give the brothers a last glance. Dean had dozed off at the table with a book spread over his face, while Sam was looking at nothing, troubled eyes deep in thought. We leave for the diner.

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 **Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! Please keep them coming. 3**


	19. Resurrection- Part 5

**I was so tempted to just split this update into two parts...but I went "Dammit, Skia, you promised them!" So a 5-part chapter it is. xD Enjoy!**

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We land outside in the parking lot and walk towards the diner. Uriel rolls his shoulders, relieved to be free of the veil and in a physical state once more. With a sweep of his hand, he swings open the door. As we walk in the demons jump up, surprise written over their faces. The waitress is the first to step forward and snarls,

"Hey, morons, can't you read? We're cl-"Her expression suddenly falls, replaced by one of pure trepidation,

"Wh-what _are_ you-"

"The exterminators," Uriel says, a faint smile of glee on the corners of his mouth. One of the duller demons frowned in confusion,

"But we didn't call in no pest ex-" But Uriel turned his eyes on him, and in a split second the demon burst into flames before us. All the others had fallen silent, paralyzed by sheer horror. They knew they were the prey now.

"First off, we'd like to know which one of you killed a friend of ours. His name was Raguel," Uriel continued over the piercing screams of the demon as it wheeled around blindly into the kitchen. No one made a move to stop him. All eyes were on us. The waitress stammered,

"W-we don't know anyone by that n-name. Sir." I could tell Uriel was enjoying himself, perhaps too much than he should be. Before he could similarly spontaneously combust her, I narrow my eyes and step forward.

"Wait," I say, looking around at the terrified faces of the demons. They were telling the truth. Not a single one of them knew, "They're not lying. Let's make this quick."

Uriel has a look of disappointment, but he dips his head in obedience.

At my glance, we spread our wings. Pure energy surges outward from my vessel, spilling through and into the space around us and permeating the very air with power. I can barely hear the screams of the demons over the ear-shattering whine of my Grace as it manifests itself. For a brief moment, even I could not see. Then, the light fades and I am standing in a room full of smoking corpses. The smell is terrible.

I fold my wings, then look around to take stock of the damage. An old machine continues to play discordant music to the side, eerie and disembodied. There are no survivors- wait, there is one, huddled in the corner. It is the demon in the waitress' body, her hands pressed against her face as blood seeps through her fingers. My angel blade falls into my hand, but as I take a step forward Uriel reaches out and grabs my arm,

"No, let's leave this one alive." I look down at my arm, and he quickly drops his hand.

"Why?"

"Let her serve as a warning to the others. She'll be dead soon, anyways." I look back at the demon, who was still cowering pitifully on the ground.

"Very well."

We head out of the diner, and with a quick movement of my hand the lights blink off and toss the diner into darkness. Uriel slams the door closed behind us, so that to any mundane human it would appear as if nothing at all had just occurred behind the doors.

As we cross the vacant parking lot, I abruptly freeze in my tracks and cast the two of us back into a state of imperceptibility. And just in time, too. A car purrs up around the corner, headlights off, and stops about fifty feet away from us. As we watch, the figure inside pauses for a brief moment, then steps out- and it is none other than Ruby.

"Why is she back?" Uriel mutters to himself. The demon's face was a mask, and neither of us could tell what her purpose was of returning. She appeared to have mended herself from the injuries she had received in the morning. However, when she got closer, she must have sensed that something was wrong. The demon tensed, stopping in her tracks as she drew in a deep breath…then started in a dead sprint towards the diner. We followed close behind. Ruby took the back door entrance, stalking up and listening for a few moments before kicking in the door. It gave away with a loud CRACK, and I flinch, hoping that no humans were in the vicinity to hear it.

After fumbling for the lights and finding them all dead, Ruby breathes out a word of profanity before continuing in…and promptly tripping over the burned corpse of the demon Uriel had lit on fire. I hear her choke back a scream, hand clasped over her mouth as she takes in the small flames still flickering on the smoking body. Uriel laughs out loud, though it went unheard by anyone save me, his vessel's white teeth flashing in the dimness. It unsettled me greatly. Ruby, having somewhat gotten over her initial terror, glances around before slowly backing out. She pulls out her phone, dialing in the same numbers from the morning. After a few rings, the person on the other side picks up.

"Hey, Sam, it's me. You're going to want to see this." Uriel's face hardens, and I am at loss for words. Something was going on between Sam and this demon. Something very bad. I hear Sam's voice reply on the other end, thick with drowsiness,

"Wh-Ruby? Where have you been? It's-"

"I ran into some of Lilith's thugs this morning, okay? Just get your ass over here."

"Uh, yeah, okay. Where you at?"

"Some place called Johnny Mac's-"

"Wait, _what_?"

"What do you mean, 'what'? You're not scared of cheap diners, are you?"

"No, no, not that. I mean, I was just there this afternoon. It was crawling with-"

"Demons. Yes, I know. And they're all dead now." There was a pause.

"And you killed them all? By _yourself_?" It was Ruby's turn to be caught by surprise,

" _What?_ Hell, Sam, you gotta wake up to the present here. Something big got to them. Something, like, demon-killing big."

"…Alright. I'm coming over right now. I'll be there in ten." I hear a car starting up just as Sam hangs up. As Ruby looks around and leans herself against the wall, eyes deep in thought, I say to Uriel,

"We must do something."

"I agree, Castiel. But-"He freezes in mid-sentence, head abruptly tilting upward. After a pause, Uriel nods once to the voice that only he can hear, "Yes. I will do that."

He turns to me, sighing, "I have been summoned. You are to go warn Dean Winchester; that is all. Oh, and try not to get him killed while I'm gone." He disappears in a gust, leaving me frowning with irritation. I was not some toddling child who needed to be watched. Uriel must be getting too full of himself. I toss a glance back at Ruby before taking a few steps and bearing myself back towards the motel.

Dean was alone in the room, asleep on the couch with a book spread over his lap. I saw that Sam had just driven off, and wondered why my superiors couldn't have just ordered me to stop the car or kill Ruby. Still, I did as I was told. Landing soundlessly beside the sofa, I paused, unsure of how to initiate contact with him. The first time that I had attempted to communicate to him had not ended very well, but now I've been commanded to speak to him? I was uncertain that he would understand me this time… But if I just woke him up, then he would no doubt notice that his brother was gone and go after him. With that in mind, I partially manifest myself in the room.

Just as I do so, the television hums to life, followed by the radio. Both begin droning with familiar white noise. Dean slowly blinks awake, looking around sleepily as he rubs his eye with a hand and I say to him, "Wake up, Dean Winchester."

Dean's expression changes in a split second as he sheds the last of his drowsiness and rolls over. I continue,

"Your brother is in great danger."

I watch, exasperation growing as he grabs the gun wedged into the side of his bed and stands. He glances down and sees Sam's bed empty.

"Do not let him take this path, Dean. No good can come out of it."

He lifts his pistol to eye level, walking past me and towards the door. He flinches as the drone around us increases in pitch, hand going to his ear.

"He's gone to Johnny Mac's to seek out Ruby, the _demon_ who is poisoning his mind _."_

Dean groans in pain, the gun dropping to the ground as glass around him cracks and then shatters.

"Go find him, Dean. **_Now_** **!** " I turn my head upwards at the mirror attached to the ceiling. Cracks form like spider webs across the surface and cause Dean to look up as well. His eyes widen, and he lunges to one side as it comes crashing down…

Perhaps I was too harsh on him. I guess I was not as tolerant of humans back then as I am today. I might have gone further and probably actually killed him if Bobby had not burst into the room at that moment. I lift my hand, and silence falls like a blanket.

"What the _hell_ is going on here?!" He rushes to Dean, crushing loose fragments of glass as he goes. Dean is trembling on the ground, cut and bloodied hands still gripping the sides of his head like a scared little child.

I watch as the older man helps Dean up and out of the room. In seconds, I am alone again. No doubt I have disappointed my superiors. I look around, taking in the shards of glass and flecks of blood on the carpet, before leaving.

It takes me a while to locate Uriel. In the end, I find him inside some run-down coffee shop. Across from him sits an angel whom I don't recognize.

"But just _listen_ to me! If we-"Uriel stops mid-sentence when he senses me standing at the door and looks up,

"Oh, Cas," he seems suddenly subdued again, "Come, let me introduce you to a friend of mine."

I was uncertain if the angel in concern was actually willing to be referred as a "friend". His vessel looked a bit sick and sheepish, and when he made eye contact with me he quickly looked away. I strode over to their table and sat down. There was an uncomfortable length of silence before Uriel finally motions towards the other angel,

"Castiel, this is Samandriel. He's a younger one," he added, as if I couldn't tell the age of an angel. When I don't reply, Uriel continues,

"Ah, yes, so we were just discussing the string of recent angel murders. Samandriel here was called to meet with me to discuss it." Samandriel quickly nodded, still not meeting my eyes when I peered down at him. The human he was in possession of was that of a young adult male, but obviously not his true vessel.

"And what have you discussed thus far?" I inquire, averting my gaze to turn towards the only customers, an entangled couple in the corner of the small shop. Both smelled thickly of alcoholism.

"Our Garrison and his have decided to join together and uncover the killer."

"His garrison sent _him_?" I said it a bit rudely, but the other angel did not seem to care.

"Oh no," Samandriel quickly replied," My superiors are all occupied with other matters at the moment. I-I was available, so I came."

"Occupied? Is there any word on Lilith, then?"

"Not that I have heard, no. But something is going on. They're just not tel-"

"What about you, Castiel?" Uriel interjected, "I presume you were successful in warning the Winchester?"

"Well, he's _alive_ ," I say, about to cast him a look of reproach, before Samandriel turns to me suddenly with eyes full of wonder,

"You were the one who raised Dean Winchester from Perdition?" Word can spread fast in Heaven. I nod, and he continues,

"So…you're his guardian." I frown. I never heard that word mentioned when I was given my instructions. Or perhaps I didn't look closely enough through the subtext. Those always eluded my understanding, and even more so when I spent time among the Winchesters. Uriel, noticing my discomfort at the word, says,

"Would you like to go examine the scene?" referring to where Judith had been murdered. I nod, and all three of us are whisked away. The couple never noticed us.

We find no trace of a demon, just like the last killing. Uriel called over Ezekiel, the first one to find Judith's body, to testify what he had seen. Samandriel stood to the side, fear radiating from him in waves. I didn't confront him about it only because I deemed that he was still young, and probably had not even been in a battle before. After Ezekiel finishes speaking, I notice a spot of something dark in one corner of the alley. It is blood. I walk over to it and bend down, scraping some off with a fingertip, and immediately I know that it is from Judith's vessel. Ezekiel comes to stand beside me, glancing back at where Uriel stood with Samandriel, before leaning and whispering,

"Do you really think a demon could have accomplished this?" I look up, confused at why he is so secretive about this, but I reply back in a low voice,

"There are a few demons that have possession of angelic blades." Ezekiel nods, but something still seems to trouble him,

"But even a demon with an angel blade cannot overpower an angel so easily and leave so quickly. Judith's blood was still warm when-"

"When did you say you found her body again?"

"Early this evening." But I remembered that Uriel had told me she had been killed last night. I straighten suddenly, turning towards Uriel,

"Uriel-"

Just as he looks my way, I feel myself being summoned again. This time, though, instead of the voice of a psychic, I hear Bobby's voice calling me in Latin. I can only form the words,

"I must go," before I unfold my wings and take flight.

Dean and Bobby had done a poor job on attempting to ward the old barn. Most of them, understandably, were to trap demons, while others were for various pagan deities. One or two symbols appeared to be for angels, but they were mediocre at best and probably couldn't even ward a fly. I stand outside, watching them move about restlessly and anticipating my coming with an array of useless weapons. I wait. They grow even wearier, eventually taking seats facing the door. I wait more, until finally I hear what I have been waiting for.

"Yes, I understand," I reply as the voice fades. I stride towards the building and listen as Dean complains to Bobby,

"You sure you did the ritual right?"

"Sorry. Touchy, touchy, huh?"

I flick my hand, causing the small barn to suddenly quake. Immediately, the two humans jump up as if they'd been burned, hands going to their weapons. I step out from my invisibility, allowing some of my energy to pour out and into the building. I hear light bulbs shattering inside.

I am standing outside the door now.

I hear Jimmy's heart beat in time with my Grace. He knows something is happening; something that will change our lives and perhaps even the course of history forever.

I fix my gaze on the door. My destiny awaited behind those simple wooden planks.

It swings open, and I do not hesitate:

I walk in.

* * *

 **/is fangirling so hard**

 **Please review! *u***


	20. Witnesses

**Witnesses**

You …should already know how the story goes from here. As soon as I entered that old barn, my story had ended…And our story- the story of how two boys, an old drunk, and a fallen angel overcame fate itself- had begun. It had all started that night, in that little warehouse. It was then that I first truly met Dean Winchester.

I wasn't surprised to be welcomed with a shower of bullets and shotgun pellets. Each one would have meant the end of my vessel, and I knew that Jimmy cringed as each one bit into his body. I continued forward, purposefully, calmly, until I could see both men's eyes widen in fear as the bullets did little to hinder my advance. Light bulbs shattered in the wake of my Grace as I passed through all three Devil's Traps. Dean and Bobby glance at each other, before Dean lunges to the side and grabs hold of his demon blade. He turns, circling me, and I do the same. I should not underestimate him, I was told, but it was hard not to. His blade was as ineffective as his shotgun.

"Who are you?" he growls.

"I'm the one who gripped you tight and raised you from Perdition," I say. I can tell that he is coiling up for a blow. I look back at him and wait for it to come.

"Yeah…thanks for that."

I give him a small smile even as he drives the blade into my chest. His expression falls and his confidence crumbles when he sees that it has utterly no effect on me. I look down with indifference, taking the knife by the hilt and pulling it out. The wound quickly seals itself, already healed over even as I drop the knife to the ground. It falls with a dull clank. Dean stares. I smile back at him. He casts a quick glance at Bobby, as if I didn't know he was behind me. Without looking, I reach out and catch the metal bar that the older man swings at me and turn to meet him. A look of helplessness crosses his face as I easily overpower him, and I can hear him repeating to me in his mind,

" _Please don't kill me. Please don't-_ "

I oblige, touching two of my fingers to his forehead. I pass an Enochian incapacitating spell into him, and Bobby's eyes roll back into his head as he collapses. I watch, unconcerned, as he hits the ground in a similar fashion as the blade. I turn back to Dean, who is still staring with his mouth agape with shock,

"We need to talk, Dean. Alone." He looks down to Bobby, then back at me. Then, slowly, cautiously, he edges downwards. For a second I thought he was bowing to me- it certainly wasn't the first time a human has bowed to an angel. Or attempted to. But then he leaned towards Bobby, reaching out to check his friend's pulse while keeping his eyes trained on me. I turn away, finding the incantation that Bobby had used to summon me scrawled on a slip of paper. Picking it up, I scan through it. The Latin verses, as far as I can remember, went like this,

 _Adprecor spiritus obscurae_

 _voco in nomine Castiel_

 _ad hoc altare construximus_

 _apparebis in conspectu meo in pace_

 _abjecto tuus dissimulatione_

Soon, though, I notice that Dean is staring at me. I can feel anger rolling from his shoulders and through his eyes, all directed at me.

"Your friend's alive," I say, without looking his way. This spell Bobby had chosen was full of errors; I was surprised it had even worked and not blown up in their faces.

"Who are you?" he demands.

"Castiel."

"Yeah, I figured that much, I mean _what_ are you?" I look down at him,

"I'm an angel of the Lord."

Maybe I had expected awe, or wonder, or even fear. But of course with Dean, I should have known better than to expect such things. He slowly rose back to his feet,

"Get the hell out of here. There's no such thing."

My gaze does not waver. In his eyes I saw a broken faith; one that had been forever scarred from the countless years of torment in the Pit. I saw a defiant soul filled with fire, yet at the same time full of uncertainty and loss and…regret.

"This is your problem, Dean," I say as I unfurl my wings to prove to him my existence, "You have no faith."

The remaining light bulbs explode above us from the second surge of energy. Electricity crackles around me before fading and leaving a metallic tang in the air. Dean doesn't speak, eyes flicking downward. Maybe now he believed. Maybe now he will listen-

"Some angel you are," he says, making a weak attempt at a self-assuring smile, "You burned out that poor woman's eyes."

I look away, nearly about to reply with a "And I was going to burn out yours, too", but instead what came out was,

"I warned her not to spy on my true form. It can be... overwhelming to humans; and so can my real voice. But you already knew that."

"You mean the gas station and the motel," he narrowed his eyes,"That was _you_ talking?"

I nod, and he continues, "Buddy, next time, lower the volume."

Maybe I should have answered with a rebuke. This human was actually telling me what to do. Yet somehow, I felt humble enough to reply,

"That was my mistake. Certain people, special people, can perceive my true visage. I thought you would be one of them. I was wrong." Dean grimaces at me and scans my form,

"And what 'visage' are you in now, huh? What, holy tax accountant?"

"This?" I look at my now torn coat. I would need to mend it sometime, "This is a vessel." I smile at the mention of Jimmy. Dean's expression, however, turns cold,

"You're _possessing_ some poor bastard?"

"He's a devout man, he actually prayed for this."

"Well, I'm not buying what you're selling, so who are you really?" I frown with confusion,

"I told you."

"Right. And why would an _angel_ … _rescue_ me from Hell?" I could tell what belief he had in me was already quickly crumbling. Humans are such petty creatures. I step closer to him,

"Good things _do_ happen, Dean."

"Not in my experience." Of course it wasn't in his experience. His life only encompassed a mere fraction of time; and hunters, especially, had a generally shorter than average lifespan. I step even closer, and I can clearly see his discomfort at such a breach of personal space- a term that would take some time for me to learn. But what I was looking for- and found- was once again that little bubble of regret hiding beneath his hostile façade. My eyes narrow,

"What's the matter? You don't think you deserve to be saved?" Dean lets out a little breath, and I am so close I can feel it. He is shaking now,

"Why'd you do it?"

"Because God commanded it. Because we have work for you." My words are met with silence. Dean averts his eyes from mine. I take a step back,

"I will return, Dean." With another step I cast my invisibility around myself, cloaking me from his eyes once more. Dean blinks, looking around before summoning up enough courage to call out,

"Yeah, sure you will! Just let me know when your angelic choir practice is over!" He probably would have said more if I hadn't awoken Bobby then. The older man blinked his eyes open, gasping and looking around with shock. Dean ran to him, helping him stagger back to his feet. I linger for a while longer before taking flight and leaving.

I locate my Garrison, but immediately I see that everyone is agitated by something. A nervous energy fills the air, angels bustling about in hushed tones. Rachel spots me standing to the side, quickly walking over to me,

"Castiel, there you are. I've been waiting for you." I fall into step beside her as we walk down the hall of an old warehouse, dimensionally altered to serve as our Garrison's base. It was as close to home as we could make it.

"What's going on, Rachel?"

"We have received orders from up high. It- it's an emergency. Lilith has been spotted."

A wave of excitement courses through me, but I calmly ask, "Where is she now?"

"Somewhere down in Arizona. Exact location has not been determined, but we have sent our best angels on it." We reach the end of the long hallway, Rachel pushing open the door for me. It would have led to an old storage closet, if the rusted sign read correctly, but instead we came through to a spacious room. The command center. As we passed by rows of maps and intelligence, many angels from my Garrison stopped to greet me respectfully. I never grew accustomed to that act, and even now, after so many years of leading I do not see any use to it. Nevertheless, I nod back to them in acknowledgment, and continue with Rachel to a giant map spread over half the wall. A red spot marked-

"That's the last place she was spotted, only about half an hour ago," she pursed her lips in an almost human expression, "Then she just…vanished."

I point at the red clumps positioned in a rough ring around Lilith's spot,

"And these…are her outer guard," Rachel nods, and I continue,

"Any idea on what she was doing there?"

"Yes, actually. But you're not going to like it," Rachel sighed. She reaches down to a nearby table, showing me a bag with a wilted plant inside. It only took me a second to identify it- it was a Rose of Jericho. Otherwise known as the Resurrection Plant.

"Samson was able to track down what she was looking for in that area. We're thinking it's for a spell." Rachel sets the bag back down before continuing,

"There are only a few spells that require such a plant, from what I remember. So unless Lilith wants to bestow blessings or cure diseases, the only other ritual would be…"

"To raise spirits," Rachel nods,

"Exactly… But what for? Lilith has no need for spirits when she has a whole army of-"She stops when she notices that I am not listening to her anymore. My mind is running through the rituals required for the thousands of Seals, searching for ones that included the Rose. If Lilith was truly on the move to break the next Seal, then she would choose an easy one. My eyes widen as I finally come to a realization, and I quickly walk past her,

"She means to raise the Witnesses." Rachel catches up to me, recognition dawning on her face as well,

"Then - well, at least this spell requires the ingredients to be gathered in order," her eyes narrow in thought," She'll be after wormwood next, if I am not mistaken."

"Yes," I stop, turning to her, "Go let the others know, but don't send anyone out yet... We don't want Lilith to suspect anything. Tell the Garrison to be ready when the word comes." Rachel nods,

"But where are you going?"

"To find Uriel."

* * *

 **Gahh sorry for the belated update! So many school papers due ahh my hands... xux**

 **Please reviewee~**


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